Feeling Is Great And Connecting

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, and words can really impact you, what feeling do you get from a live experience? What is a live experience?

I remember my Great Uncle Earl’s house. My grandmother lived with him. It sat up from the road. You had to walk up steps from the sidewalk to get to the path to the front door. There was a nice lawn in front of the house. It was two stories and needed a paint job. The Porch led to a creaky old wooden screen door that used springs to close. The inside was dark. I remember that there was a grate with the furnace under it that allowed the heat to rise into the room. I played over that a lot since I wasn’t interested in adult conversations. Built on the side of the house, the kitchen seemed a bit oddly placed to me.

I remember that my grandmother had cat statuettes everywhere. I’m sure that was a bit annoying to Uncle Earl, a retired Army Quartermaster and career soldier who fought in the Pacific theater and in Korea. When I recall that house, I can remember smells and shadows. I remember the sounds of creaks and the breeze blowing through the thin curtains as they fluttered lightly.

Feeling Disconnected Or Connected?

My children, on the other hand, have never been to that home. The house sold long before they were born. They only have a few pictures to help them know about that home. Most places that were important to our ancestors are familiar to us and thus we don’t feel as connected as we might hope to be. As they look at pictures, there is far more understanding than if they only read words on a page. A story shared verbally is much more engaging than mere words. Perhaps you may have a home movie that shows your ancestors in their home, or on a vacation. All these enhance the feelings you have for and about your ancestors.

I remember visiting Rosston, Arkansas as a twelve year old. I remember visiting the cemetery and seeing the rocks placed as headstones for my 5th great-grandfather and grandmother and many of their family. That was connecting, but even more so was seeing his home, built in the 1850s, right behind the cemetery. He built it, and that was something that really made an impression on me. I could not go inside, but just seeing his home made a lasting impression. Walking where he had walked was humbling.

Look For Opportunites

I still look for opportunities. I have a goal to visit Poland, Russia, and Lithuania where my grandparents lived when it was still East Prussia. My grandmother’s home still stands, and the land is still worked. I have pictures that some of my cousins took over a decade ago, and I have pictures from the 1900s, 1930s, and 1940s. It is somewhere that I know I can go and get more connected.

I am looking forward to visiting Philadelphia and seeing some of the places that the first Fincher in America frequented. There are many places that I can visit, such as Jamestown in Virginia. I can visit Barking Hallow in London, or Himbleton in Worcestershire. You can make some interesting connections with people as well. I remember when I was on a cruise to Alaska and I had lunch with a couple from Droitwich. During lunch, I remarked that I knew where it was as they looked at me very doubtfully. I explained that I knew it was a few kilometers from Himbleton and their jaws dropped. As we conversed and I explained my connection to the area, they recalled that there was a shop in town with the Fincher name in it.

Look And Find The Feeling

The possibilities for making connections are endless, but you have to be aware enough to notice them. The same is true in our everyday lives. The more aware you are, the more connections you can make with places and more importantly, with people.

Choose in to making connections. Life is so much fuller as you find the connections that will help you to feel more a part of the world around you. It helps give life purpose. Work on your ability to see things around you. Try Learning to See and find greater joy and deeper meaning in your life.