Walking Where They Walked

Growing up, I learned to love my Swedish heritage through the stories my mother told me.  Every Lucia Day celebrated, saffron bun baked, and folk song sung meant something to her, and in time, to her children.  There was always a charmed feeling about that far-away country that I longed to know more about.

Fast forward to my college years – my opportunity to see Sweden first-hand arrives.  For three glorious summer months, I immersed myself in the language, culture, and history of the country I’d grown up loving from afar.  It was a magical time.  Suddenly, everything my parents and grandparents had shared with me about my family’s history came vibrantly to life.  I walked where my ancestors had walked, and it changed the way I thought about them.

The most touching part of this experience was its final week, when my mother came to pick me up.  Together, we enjoyed Stockholm, the beautiful city where she had spent her high school years.  We traveled south to the home of my mother’s family.  We stopped by the church they attended; we walked through the forest where my great-great-great grandfather worked as forest keeper, and saw the little red house where he raised his family.

Looking out at the pristine blue lake where they did their washing, I pondered the difficult life my ancestors lived. I thought about the trials they must have experienced, struggling to provide for twelve children in a small cottage through bitter cold winters.  I found myself filled with a profound gratitude for the dedication, courage, and love for each other that pulled them through.   

Family history, or the study of one’s past, used to be an unfamiliar concept dealing with names and dates of people I knew little about.  That all changed for me when I lived where my ancestors lived, and saw what they saw.  Now I know why Sweden meant so much to my mom – it means that to me, too.

Julie

(You can learn more about your ancestors by checking out http://www.familysearch.org, a free service to help bring your family history to life).