Recalling Present Family History and How Much to Share

In looking back at the bits of records and information that I pour over to try get a better understanding about the time and experiences of family in this history gathering journey, I am reminded not to overlook things that are more current to present day that may be interesting to my kids, or their kids and so on. I have done this through photos or on occasion recalling an experience such as a layover in Paris or watching my Dad's boat building class in Indiana, as examples.

With many of these stories, things that may be interesting are too recent, and need some passage of time before I am able to write about them in a sufficient way. There are stories that simply involve crossing paths with a person of varying degrees of fame, with interactions that may have left no impression on that person but resonated with me for one reason or another.

The challenge is what and how much to make public. I haven't hesitated write in detail in this blog on members of the family, distant and present. And I don't exactly hide my contact details either. But it is something I've thought about. Ultimately, this is a vehicle to share and to make stories from the past and present available, to family and non-family alike.

Now that I am in the habit of writing or posting something almost daily on the blog, this is a reminder to periodically capture stories that are more current, even if those are stored in another format or place. From time to time, those impressions may end up here, to provide context to photos or of a particular situation.

I've been writing here for 8 months and don't plan to stop any time soon. There are a lot of stories to tell. I am mindful that this is public, and that I'm certainly not the only one in the family. Reading about family history impacts people in different ways. In February I wrote about making our own history every day. I still believe that. As with other social outlets, such as Facebook, one applies a filter. What to preserve and pass down, and in what form?