This year, why not bring along a pad and pen to Thanksgiving dinner. There are a couple of reasons why it could come in handy. With the whole family gathered around the table, there are bound to be some great family stories being told that you won’t want to forget. Also, there may be mention of bits and pieces of information here and there that could help you in your family history research. I often hear very interesting things at family gatherings, things that I want to remember later on so that I can follow up on them. Since I never write them down, I promptly forget them, only later to remember that I wanted to remember something that I had heard but I have no clue what it was.
It is frustrating to not be able to remember what I heard at family gatherings, and I can solve that problem by simply bringing along a pad and pen to write down what I want to remember. After all, we’re family, and no one is going to think that I am weird because I am taking notes at the dinner table – or will they? If they do, I’ll just crack a joke and tell them that working as a lawyer has taught me the importance of keeping detailed notes, so they had better watch what they say lest it be used against them in court later on.
There is also another reason to take notes at the dinner table. The Surgeon General has declared Thanksgiving to be National Family History Day. Now, you may be wondering why the Surgeon General has any interest at all in promoting genealogical pursuits. It turns out that one of the Surgeon General’s initiatives is to encourage Americans to learn about (and write down) their family health history so that they can share it with their health care providers. Family health history can be used by health care professionals to help individuals assess disease risk, and prevent and treat disease.
Photo by earl53 on morguefile.com.