Ancestral Cheerleaders

So what do you do with all those old photographs? Our house visually supports our belief that family is important. Instead of being tucked away in an old photo album we use the large entranceway of our Edwardian house as a gallery of black and white photographs of our lineage. Everyday I look at one or more of these pictures as I walk by and it is a reminder to me of the rich ancestry that made me the person I am. Each of these people is somehow alive in me. I am a continuation of each of these people. They are my spiritual legacy, my inspiration, my backers and supporters. Because we were picture framers for so many years, it made it easy to develop this gallery. The one thing in common is that they are all black and white photos, though each frame is totally different. As I notice them each day, I say to myself things like, “she’s the one who taught me how to knit, my son looks like him, they left their comfort zone and moved to a foreign land…”  Our house lends itself to a gallery such as this. It may not always be like this, but for right now I like having my own booster club. In another room, we have colour photographs of our family as it is now. Today, identify one member of your family tree and do something to honour her or his spirit.