​Reader,​

Stories have always been a big part of how I got to know my ancestors.

From older tales about River Joe and Prairie Joe and a grandfather who stole his brother's identity to come to the United States from Eastern Europe in the late 1800s to a book full of letters from my Scottish family’s experience in the Civil War, old stories were told non-stop at family meet-ups.

The newer tales were made up of the trouble my father and uncles got into when they did things like stow away on a train to Canada to buy fireworks, dragging their seven year old brother along at the time. 🫣 Or the time when the rural Minnesota winter was so severe my mom and neighborhood kids were taken into town on a sleigh.

As a child, the stories made something that seemed so foreign and distant infinitely more relatable. People I never knew came alive in vivid detail. And I recognized that my parents had been young once too, making mistakes, being human and learning

For me, the stories bring my ancestral lineage to life in a way a family tree chart never could.

And the more I explore my ancestral connection, the more I am reminded that I did not begin with myself.

Each of our stories started long before we were ever born – made up of our families, cultures, communities, traditions, and places. All of which contribute to who we are now and how we make sense of the world.

And it’s through these stories that our ancestors share their wisdom, their experiences and perhaps a different perspective that we might not have seen on our own.

Connecting with your ancestors doesn’t have to be a ten step ritual. It can be something simple like taking the time to remember what you already know.

Here are a few questions to get you brainstorming:

• What stories do I remember or have I been told about my ancestors?
• Which of those stories took root and became a shared identity over the generations?
• And do I want that story or stories to be part of who I am now?

I realize I’m quite lucky to have come from avid storytellers who passed down family myths every time we gathered together.

If you aren’t familiar with your family’s personal stories, you can still connect to your ancestors.

Head to your local library and find tales from where your people came from. Look for myths, fairytales, and stories about what they experienced in their ancestral lands. Get curious about what life could've looked like for them. Then ponder these questions:

• Do you notice any patterns or themes that have shown up for you over your lifetime that are similar to what you read about?
• Are there family traditions you’ve always been curious about but never knew where they came from? Research is your best friend. See if you can find a book that sheds light on that.
• Do you have an elder around that you can ask? You might be surprised what they share when you show interest.

And then I’d love for you to hit reply and share one of your stories with me. Each time we pass something along or we share our experiences, our ancestors get a little more love sent their way.

P.S. The stories we inherit become part of how we interpret what’s happening around us and also affect what feels possible, risky, or affect what we assume something means.

Viewfinder helps you notice when a story is influencing the way you’re seeing a current situation, so you can decide whether it still belongs there. Curious? Click here for more information.​