"I peered inside the little church where my ancestors worshipped..."

More than forty years ago I learned the name of the town in Switzerland from which my ancestors emigrated. I have located it on a map and have seen an aerial view from Google Earth. But last year when I traveled to Switzerland, I stood in the vintage town square and ate lunch in an open air cafe on the lake shore. The mountains jut straight up, leaving just a sliver of land for the town. I peered inside the little church where my ancestors worshipped and strolled through the adjacent cemetery where dozens of them are buried. I learned of the town's struggles with annual spring flooding and a  monument to the man who built a canal in the early 1800's to drain away the excess srping runoff. I learned thing and felt things I had never experienced before. I connected to my Swiss ancestors.

RC Morenci
Arizona

" The stone fences that were built by the hands of my grandfathers"

My wife and I were both so moved by the opportunity to visit the home at the farm "Smordahl" in Myking, Norway where my great grandmother back through my seventh great-grandparent's lived. We were able to talk around the farm house and peer into the windows of a home hat my family occupied for nearly 200 years. The rooms contained wooden furniture that appeared to be well over 100 years old. The stone fences that were built by the hands of my grandfathers over the generations were crumbling, but echoed the hard work and devotion of their character. We were able to meet several distant cousins for the first time and to visit with them and reestablish that family connection. The feeling of belonging was so strong that it brought tears to my eyes. I have heard people say before that they could feel their ancestors on such occasions. I can tell you now that I understand what they meant. This was an experience I will treasure forever. More importantly, I've been able to share these feelings with my children and grandchildren. They are now interested and excited about who they are and who their ancestors were. I would do this again in a heartbeat!


SL Belvidere
Illinois