WHO WILL WRITE THE FAMILY STORY?

I recently realized that our family story has dropped into my lap. My family is large–I am the youngest of twelve!  Now I have only one sister still living, in a palliative care home, suffering from lung cancer. Thankfully she is still alert, but has little energy to work at family stories.Therefore, the burden,or joy, of our family story now rests in my court.

What does this mean? Do I now make sure the family genealogy and history is kept up to date? Or maybe I am the one various family members check with to gain advice? Or will I be included in the exciting news when the younger generation gets married, or when a newborn enters a family?   

What responsibility does the last surviving family member have as this relates to the many other children and/or grandchildren? Who else is able to keep the family history alive and of interest to the young? At this point, I am the only uncle on the Brandt side of things. How can I, as the youngster within my sibling brood, show others that I care about their lives and wish for them to enjoy other family members. I am not the proverbial “rich uncle” who flies in to aid in any family crisis. But, I am the “concerned” uncle who is interested in the joys, sorrows and pains of each member of our family. 

Not only am I concerned, but to whom do I go if further wisdom is sought? I might be able to ask some of my generation, but the siblings involved in a story, no longer are able to provide any wisdom on a subject of concern. I am left alone. The decisions are mine to make. Certainly, I have the wisdom of my siblings and previous generations to assist in telling the Brandt family story. However, I am no longer a young man, so  I need to make sure the next generation picks up the baton. If no one answers this call, our story will be lost.

However, in today’s individualistic society, would this be called interference? I hope not! Family stories and genealogies are often the domain of the older segment of society. I can accept that generalization, because I fit that as well. When I was younger, as a teen or as a middle-aged person, I was indifferent. But now, if I do not learn about  the generations that stem from the Brandts, who will capture this information once all of my generation are gone?

A niece has taken on much of this challenge. I am thankful for her interest and investigation. I am also grateful for a granddaughter that is showing some interest. As the last of my generation, I am thrilled if someone from a younger generation wishes to take the family story and continue its run. Stories from our past need to be told. My recollections may be skewed, but they are the  best we have, going forward.  My siblings have, over the years, written down some of the Brandt stories. I think my task is to collect these anecdotes so that these stories make sense to a younger generation. What a richness for us to read, and to experience vicariously the joys and frustrations of past generations. 

My own time may be short. How best do I relay our story to the generation below me? My own reading of snippets from siblings and seeking to piece these together to make a full story seems to be the way forward. May God give the wisdom to discern what may be discarded and what needs to be brought forward to the next generation.. 

I wonder, am I the only one who feels the burden of the family story? Do other families struggle with the same? A strong suggestion from me is that families need to gather their stories before most siblings are gone. Do not wait until grandchildren ask where is our family history, and no one is prepared to answer that call!