Just For Fun - Which Traits Are You Passing Down?

It's kind of a joke in my family, at least for us kids.  We'll say something like "this grandson is really good at skipping stones" and my father will inevitably say, "he must get that from me!"

As we are researching our ancestors it's fun to make a discovery that one of them may have had similar interests or avocations that we have.  Maybe you're an artist and you discover that your ancestor was too.  Or maybe you have a long line of teachers in your family. Certain traits and passions seem to carry through the generations.

If you could leave a note for your descendants, which traits would you tell them about yourself?  Leave a comment below or write a post on your own blog.

Here's my letter:

My dear descandant,

I don't know who you are but here are some of the things you might have gotten from me.  I love spicy food. I like it spicy enough for my face and my nose to turn all red and sometimes, if it's the right kind of heat, for the tears to come streaming down my face.  But I don't like Vindaloo - that's too hot.  I have my limits.

I love thunderstorms.  When I was a kid, my brother and I would either stand on the front steps or hang in the garage with the door open just to see the storm.  We would only retreat inside behind a screen or storm door when it became too wet or windy.  My mother loved thunderstorms too.  If you are a storm chaser maybe you got that from us.

I like observing nature.  I know that sounds a bit hokey.  I say observing just so you'll know that I'm not really into camping or outdoor sports (except hiking which I do love) and being out in nature all the time.  But I love watching birds, watching the seasons change, seeing the flowers and trees grow each year, identifying wild flowers in the woods, looking for animal tracks in the mud and snow and spotting clues to the past like finding old stone walls in the woods. 

If you, my great, great grandchild, have any of these traits then you probably got them from me! 

Love, your ancestor, Marian


Photo Credit: Photo by Leszek.Leszczynski used under the creative commons license.