Yesterday my 9 year-old asked me why I "do genealogy". My immediate answer was a less than eloquent "because I like it". Which satisfied my daughter's curiosity...at least for now, but what would I tell another adult who would likely required a more detailed answer.
So why do we do what we do? Why do we spend hours in front of our computers tapping away? Or waiting by the mailbox for that next piece of evidence? What drives us to hunt down the clues and piece together our ancestors lives?
Genealogy is about the people that came before us. We learn about their hardships and heartaches as well as their joys in life. It's also about learning where we come from and about the lives that shaped our own lives. Although, unless you've been there, it's hard to describe the feeling of hunting down that crucial piece of evidence and finally finding it and jumping out of your chair to do the genealogy happy dance in your living room. A dance that normally knocks over the chair, scares one of the lives out of the cat and receives odd looks from one's significant other and eye rolling from one's children.
Why wouldn't we love it?
I love to hear from my readers. Share your reasons why you love it in the comments below!
Happy Hunting!
