Ancestry and Lineage

 

We are walking libraries of those who came before us.

Every ancestor whose name we speak, every story we remember, is a chapter in the ongoing book of who we are. Some of those stories are heroic, some humble, some complicated — yet together they make us whole.

When I listen to stories of lineage, I often think of how easily a life can disappear from memory if no one tells it. A person is born, lives, works, loves, and dies — and unless someone remembers, the echo fades. But tell their story, even once, and they live again. Their laughter, their hardships, their small triumphs — all return, if only for a moment.

We are the bridge between what was and what will be. The stories we inherit shape us; the stories we tell will shape those who come after.

“We are the ancestors of the future.” — Winona LaDuke

“The ancestors may sleep, but they are never dead.” — African Proverb

To know our ancestry is not to cling to the past, but to understand our place in the great continuum of human story. Whether your roots run deep in one place or spread across continents, the act of remembering connects you to something larger — a thread of belonging that time cannot break.

We are not alone in our journey. We walk surrounded by stories — some known, some waiting to be rediscovered.

Question for you:
💭 What’s the oldest story you know about your family?