Here are some helpful ideas to get your family involved in your family history.

• Write a biographical sketch and share it with your family.
  
• Share someone's life story.
  
• Share a story from your youth with a child.
  
• Tell stories about life when you were a child.
  
• Record the history of your family heirlooms.
  
• Record the origin of things and stories about how you came to have them.
  
• Create an heirloom, such as a cross-stitch, embroidery, crocheted blankets. 
• Take photos of items and make a scrapbook.
  
• Cook up some family recipes.
  
• They can be recorded with any stories that go with them.
  
• Make copies of family photos. 
  
• Scan them into a computer and print them out.
  
• Pass out copies of family trees.
  
• There are several computer genealogy programs available.
  
• Write a letter and spread some good will.
  
• Send a thank you note to clerks and librarians that have been helpful in your search efforts.
  
• Create some memories to preserve for your own family.
  

HIRE A GENEALOGIST!

Just recently the 1930 Census records for Mexico were released on Ancestry.com which is great news to Hispanics with ancestors from Mexico!  On that note now here's some additional great news from Family Search Indexing dated 12 Sep 2011. (They are also doing a great number of records from Mexico in addition to the 1930 Census in Mexico.)

"Buongiorno! Great news for Italians everywhere!

Stato Civile Italiano, 1805-1910

Several new Italian indexing projects have been added in recent months, this is just the beginning! Many new projects (containing civil birth, marriage, and death records) will continue to be added from all across Italy in the coming months. Click here to continue reading this message in English.

Parecchi progetti Indexing sono stati aggiunti durante gli ultimi mesi, questo è solo l’inizio! Tanti altri nuovi progetti (contenenti atti di nascita, matrimonio e morte) da tutte le parti d’Italia continueranno ad essere aggiunti nei prossimi mesi." Clicca qui per l'italiano.

It's the day after the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 and there is still a somber yet peaceful reflection of what happened on that day ten years ago.  My daughter Kelsie was crying with heartfelt emotion early on Sunday morning after midnight on Saturday night.  She had just listened to a montage of words and music on the local country station here in San Antonio that was in dedication to the 9/11 anniversary.  It was about a young girl growing up without her father who had died 10 years ago at the World Trade Center and who asked "Do you see me Daddy?  I miss you."

The way that we experienced that day live as it happened was different then any other news story that unfolded.
The first news came to us by radio as many of us were arriving to work that morning..."a plane has hit one of the twin towers at the World Trade Center in New York".  At first it was disbelief that such a thing could happen.  Who in their right mind could do something like that on purpose, it had to be some kind of weird accident.  Maybe it was a small plane whose pilot had a heart attack.

Then TV's across the U.S. and the World began turning to the news stations to see what video there was of the scene and as the smoke and flames began to build, then the second plane, a large jumbo jet, hit the second tower...LIVE!...and war coverage had stepped over to the 21st Century.  We watched the replays over and over in disbelief and shock...this was intentional!  War on America, on our own soil, by terrorists!  Some 3000 American lives were lost that day.  Countless heroes came to the rescue of many, and many heroes were lost that day as well.

It is probably better that as we reflect on this anniversary that the evil mind behind this plot on America was captured and killed not very long ago.  Had he remained alive we would not have felt as much closure.

Don't let history pass you by or the chance to pass on to your children the stories of your family before it is too late.  I have reflected on the Holocaust recently since I have been helping a Jewish family uncover their family history during that time period.  It is a miracle that there were survivors.  Families were decimated or completely wiped out altogether.  I am grateful that one of their family members kept a journal of his experiences and then wrote a book of his memories for his posterity.  If you ever get a chance to read it please do so.  It's called, The Family Whistle by Simon Eichel.

If you haven't yet hugged your spouse and kids recently and told them how much you love them...you should.  And if you haven't written down in a journal for your posterity your thoughts and feelings about 9/11 and the other important dates and memories you have....you really should.  Begin today, write it down, start a book of remembrance. Discover more about who you are as a member of your family, your community, your nation, this place we call earth, and as a child of God.

God Bless Us All, & God Bless the United States of America!