A Legacy in a Jar

Welcome! Thank you so much for joining us for our “Legacies” series!
Please take a moment to head over to the Encouraging Home for our GIVEAWAY!

I want to welcome Christina from To Show Them Jesus. Christina has a sweet spirit and is always willing to help and uplift others. Her writings will encourage you and cause you to grow in your relationship with the Lord. Please take a moment to stop by Christina’s blog and say hello.

I’ve always been interested in the past. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to understand my family and the ancestors that came before me. Like a detective that solves a mystery, I have wanted to understand the mystery of how my family developed into who we are today. I’ve long probed the deeper questions of what factors shaped a person’s life, how they faced life’s challenges, and why they made particular decisions and choices.

What factors contributed to my grandmother being so anxiety filled her whole life? Why did my great-grandparents come here from Germany? How did my great-grandmother raise four children after her alcoholic husband left? How did my grandfather face fear on the battlefield? What was it like for my mother to grow up with a brother being mentally ill?

Every family has a story. It’s these stories that help explain a family and its traditions, quirks, challenges, and tragedies. It was a decade ago when I began exploring further into my family tree. I didn’t get very far. Sadly, I found that my relatives did not even know the names of my ancestors, a mere four generations ago. My ancestor’s names, along with all their stories, are long-buried.

As the family curator, I decided I didn’t want that to happen with those still alive. I have since interviewed my maternal grandfather about his life, his experiences in the war, and his memories as a child. It’s all written down in a journal for future generations to read.

Wanting to go deeper, one year for Christmas, I gave my parents a glass jar with 52 strips of paper inside. On each strip of paper contained a question about their life. For example, they answered questions about their childhood, their first car, the one teacher who influenced them the most, their faith, and how they met. I also gave them a journal and for each question, they were to journal their answers. I asked them to return the journal to me the following Christmas. And they did. It is a prized possession of mine, a hand written legacy of sorts.

While I have dozens of old family photos with images of people whose names I’ll never know, I do have my journals with life stories of my parents and grandfather, documented for my children to treasure. It’s a start. My journey into discovering the past will continue as I unravel the mystery of the stories that shaped and influenced how I came to be.

Christina Fox is a homeschooling mom to two boys, four and seven. She is also a licensed mental health counselor, writer, and avid blogger. When she has spare time, she can be found reading a book with a cup of black coffee by her side. You can find her sharing her journey at www.toshowthemjesus.com.

Please click the following links to read previous posts in the “Legacies” series.

 Day One ~Preparing to Leave A Godly Legacy~
Day Two ~A Mom’s Faithfulness~
Day Three~ Living A Legacy

Day Four~ What Will They Remember?

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