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Saturday, March 5, 2011

307–Who Do You Think You Are?

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I spent the morning catching up on some DVR’d television.  Do you watch “Who Do You Think You Are?”  I watched three episodes this morning and cried in all three.  Some of the stories are happy, some are really sad, but they’re always interesting.

I love genealogy and that show makes me want to go back and discover my own roots.  Not just see the names on the family tree, but to know their stories.  To know about their lives.

On Lionel Richie’s episode, he began his story by telling how he grew up in the South (Alabama).  His family took measures to shelter him and his siblings from the events that were unfolding during his childhood (the civil rights movement).  He describes it as “living in a bubble”.  When I describe my childhood, I almost always describe it that way. 

My parents (whether intentionally or unintentionally) shielded us from the “bad” that was all around us.  I knew VERY little of things such as divorce, murder, child abuse, crime, etc. as a child.  About the scariest thing I remember from my grade school years (besides the witch on “The Wizard of Oz”) is having to do “duck and cover drills” at school (in the early 70s).

I don’t know how my parents did it, but all my childhood memories are of a time that seemed so innocent.  I was protected.  I was taken care of.  I was happy.  I am SO thankful for that!

5 comments:

Jenn said...

We keep missing that show and we don't have DVR, so I guess I'll have to watch it online. My hubby did his ancestry a few years ago and we discovered that he and I are 8th cousins....haha! Isn't that crazy!

Your childhood sounds a little like mine - I hated the drills where we all lined up in the hallways. Always scared the living daylights out of me!

The Garners said...

I didn't know the name of the show, but I think I must have caught a little bit of one episode that Lane was watching--the one where Rosie O'Donnell went to Ireland to seek out her relatives? I cried watching it, too. She found out that her relatives lived in a "workhouse". She went back there to see it, and it was so terribly sad. My tears started flowing when the narrator told that upon arrival at the workhouse, children were separated from their parents, and they did not see each other.

I think Lane had seen a few other episodes and found them interesting as well. Maybe we need to start recording them.

Betsy said...

I grew up that way too. I think that's how children SHOULD be raised! And I love that show! I need to start setting my TiVo to record it.

Claire said...

What a blessing! That show always makes me cry.

Cxx

Kelley said...

I grew up the same way too! My parents shielded me from all of that. I am doing the same for my 2 girls. I have watched the show too and cried. It is very touching.