One of my favorite holidays when I was young was Memorial Day because we all went to decorate graves and my grandmother and other relatives would tell me stories about the people whose graves we visited. Then we would have a big extended family picnic, getting to know distant relatives and remembering those who'd passed on. My relatives on the other grandmother's side were all buried in another state, but she too would tell me stories and make sure I knew their names. Both grandmothers helped me write out a pedigree chart when I was about 8 years old and helped me add to it throughout the rest of their lives. I grew up feeling that knowing your ancestors was a vital part of life, and I hope to keep that philosophy going!

One of my favorite holidays when I was young was Memorial Day because we all went to decorate graves and my grandmother and other relatives would tell me stories about the people whose graves we visited. Then we would have a big extended family picnic, getting to know distant relatives and remembering those who'd passed on. My relatives on the other grandmother's side were all buried in another state, but she too would tell me stories and make sure I knew their names. Both grandmothers helped me write out a pedigree chart when I was about 8 years old and helped me add to it throughout the rest of their lives. I grew up feeling that knowing your ancestors was a vital part of life, and I hope to keep that philosophy going!