Digging In My Roots Again

This afternoon I returned home and felt inclined to spend time "digging in my roots", researching Joe Goodley on my family tree. I positioned myself on my bed, pulled out my family binder and logged onto ancestry.com. Hoping to make some progress in my search for who this man is/was, I clicked the green leaf next to his name and it led me to 5 hints the program suggested. Four of the five were not helpful, referencing Joe Goodley's in other states too far from his last known whereabouts to be relevant. The last tab I checked on was ironically the first tab listed. It was a link to another family tree named the Watts Family Tree and the information on their tree matched exactly to my own. A stream of excitement rushed through my veins. In my binder, I have the funeral programs for my great grandfather Will Goodman Sr and great grandmother Willie Mae Goodman. With the information on the program, I updated the death dates on my family tree. Within 20 minutes of my update, I had 3 more hints and the program offered a few more lines to connect my dots. What prompted this afternoon exploration is that I have been feeling impressed upon to be able to tell my personal story within the context of the places, people, and times that made me who I am. The notes that I have taken over the years and the diary entries from interviews with family members has made this journey one in education, understanding, hope, and inspiration. This search has brought into my path so many stories and other things that I never anticipated that started while doing a class assignment April 6, 1995. One unexpected thing I found in my binder is a series of letters I typed to my sister in 2000 telling her about me and my life and giving her advice based on my experiences. In a letter written September 15, 2000, I wrote to her about the Black College Campus tour and the wellness forum where Sistah Souljah was keynote. In true Sistah Souljah fashion, she ignited in me with 9 tips that are relevant even today. I now share them with you. 1. Don't waste time 2. Use time to do reading outside of the sylabus 3. Develop sisterhood 4. Take every negative experience and turn it into a postivie one. 5. Keep strong friendships 6. Create businesses 7. Remember politics 7. Develop family and community 8. Get respect and love for yourself As an aside, I encourage you to find a way to document the times of your life. Whether everyday, once a week or month, or just on the days that mean the most to you, find a way to mark the date, time, and place so you can be reminded of your own journey, see how far you have come, understand who you were then and how you became who you are now. Leave crumbs along the path, so, if one day you must return, you can find your way back.