Holiday Memories

It has been quite a while since I last posted. Research into my family tree and that of friends has continued but there is something about the Holidays and the many memories shared with my family which is helping me to get back to writing.

Love of family and love of Holidays seem to go hand in hand. The memories help carry us through times, both good and bad. As an only child, my cousins were surrogate siblings in my heart. We share many fond memories of growing up in the Chicago area. I was born in raised in what is called the “Little Warsaw” area of Chicago. It was in the northwestern area of the city, consisting of Bucktown, Logan Square, Albany Park and many other surrounding neighborhoods.

My immigrant ancestors originally settled in the Bucktown area which received its name from the goats owned by the Polish families of the neighborhood (a male goat is called a buck). It is the descendants of these immigrants, my aunts, uncles, cousins and me who moved our families to other areas but the “Little Warsaw” area remains predominately Polish. As late as 1994, when I attended my Aunt and Uncle Mitchell Wegrzyn’s 50^th Anniversary, some store clerk only spoke Polish. I remember shopping in a local delicatessen (wędlinę which stands for meat in Polish) and the cashier having to call all around the store to find someone to translate the cost of my purchase from Polish to English. Alas, I never learned my ancestors mother tongue, a regret I have to this day.

My paternal grandparents died well before my parents married. My maternal grandfather died when I was 5 years old. I still remember his joy and excitement when the Holidays approached. I will carry his love for family and Holidays in my heart forever. My maternal grandmother died when I was 26. When this happened our families no longer celebrated the Holidays together, but the memories will always be with all my cousins and with me. 

Szostek & Kolodzinski Family Gathering

My only regret is not having their stories to share with future generations. Oh, sure I remember some of them, but time has passed and the sharpness of memories fade. I wish I  would have recorded some of what my grandparents and parents shared, either by writing them down or recording their voices as they reminisced about their parents and life in Poland.

This Holiday Season, along with creating new memories be sure to share family memories of days past. Treasure the stories of those in your family who have enjoyed more Holiday memories than you have. Write down or record (with their permission, of course) the stories for those too young or not yet born. In this way their love will never be forgotten. Don’t forget to share your memories, too, you are an important part of the Holidays!

Why?

We live our lives, possibly marry and have children and grandchildren.  We pass on our DNA which is a melding of the DNA of our ancestors and are told we have our father's eyes or our grandmother's nose but what do we know of them as a person? 

 

When I started to trace my family tree I looked for names of my relatives, dates of their births, marriages and deaths but I felt like there was something missing.  What else was there to find?  The person my ancestor had been, that is what was left!  The following writing was posted on a genealogy mailing list.  It was written anonymously but shares my feelings of what genealogy is about, filling in my ancestors dash!
 

 SPENDING YOUR DASH?

 

I read of a man who stood to speak

At the funeral of a friend.

He referred to the dates on her tombstone

From the beginning ... to the end.

He noted that first came her date of birth

And spoke the following date with tears,

But he said what mattered most of all

Was the dash between those years. (1930 - 1998)

For that dash represents all the time

That she spent alive on earth....

And now only those who loved her

Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own;

The cars...the house...the cash.

What matters is how we live and love

And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard...

Are there things you'd like to change?

For you never know how much time is left.

That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough

To consider what's true and real,

And always try to understand

The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,

And show appreciation more

And love the people in our lives

Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,

And more often wear a smile...

Remembering that this special dash

Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy's being read

With your life's action's to rehash...

Would you be proud of the things they say

About how you spent your dash?