Those Who Have Gone Before

My grandmother wasn't Fundamentalist. She wasn't even LDS. But she knew the value of knowing your family history. I would sit in her lap and she would tell me stories of my ancestors. From her mom and dad, to ancient, mist-shrouded European kings, she would tell me where I came from.
One day, in just such an interview, Grandma looked at me and said, "Someday you will meet them, these ancestors of yours, and you will have to tell them how you lived your life. Live in a way that will make them proud. And always be proud of them. You have a wonderful, unique heritage, and it belongs to only you."
After I grew up and joined the LDS church, I was depressed to find that, despite copious amounts of research, I was not at all descended from Pioneers. I had wanted that ancestry inthe Church, but I didn't have it. I was the first in all of my bloodline to have ever come to a knowledge of the Gospel. And at the time, that bothered me. It took me a while to realize what a wonderful position that was.
So I researched, and delved even furhter into the fairy stories my grandmother told me, only to find that the characters form her stories were really people who lived once. And as I studied, I not only found their names, but their histories as well. I had a new sense of pride in these ancestors of mine. Maybe they didn't cross the plains with Brigham Young, but they had their own struggles to overcome, and they did in miraculous ways.
And now, I'm in the work. I have a mountain of Family History work that I have to accomplish- well over 1000 names- and yet, they are still not a burden to me. If anything, their stories inspire and lift me. To know that their blood is running through my veins makes me want to live worthy of it. And for their presence in my life, I am more than willing to find them, know their stories, and spend my free time doing all that I can to one day be able to make my gramdmother's admonision come true and see them face to face.