#52Ancestors - In My DNA

                I have a few good traits and some bad as well, and each one can be traced back through my family tree to my ancestors.   Each nationality is known for certain personality traits.

                Two years ago, I finally sent in my DNA sample for testing.  I haven’t spent a lot of time with it, I haven’t had the time.  But, according to my DNA report 81% of my ancestors come from Western Europe – primarily England and Germany.  12% is Scottish and Irish and 7% is Norwegian.

                From my German ancestors, I received the gift (curse?) of punctuality.  I am one of those people who HAS to be early for everything.  I cannot tolerate being late, and those who are perpetually late grate on my nerves.   My younger son still does not understand it and tries to stall so we arrive just on time or (GASP!) LATE!!!   I am not sure who is going to win this battle of wills, but I am afraid there might be a fatality! 

                My German line is also responsible for my love of tradition.  There are many family traditions that I continue, even though no one else seems too interested anymore.  At Christmas, each stocking must have an apple and an orange, which is tradition passed down from my mother’s parents and their ancestors.  Each stocking also contains flavored syrup for milk, passed down through my husband’s family.  Traditions are important to me, helping me keep the memory of those ancestors alive. 

                I inherited my craftiness from the Germans in my line.  Many famous inventions were created by German natives.  There is not much I enjoy more than sitting down and getting crafty, be it with a glue gun, scrapbook, counted cross stitch, paint and wood or making decoupage tiles.  Let me create!

                From those who immigrated to the US from my British progenitors, I inherited one good trait and a couple of my more questionable ones.  I am a caring person, always wanting to help or take care of people and things. They also passed down to me an extreme stubborn streak and the sarcasm and wit that I passed on to my two sons. 

                Even though Scotland and Ireland only represent a total of 12% of my ancestry, they passed down to me more traits than the British and Germans.  My roots in Scotland run very deep, clear back to Robert the Bruce.  Through this line I inherited superstition, sentiment and spirituality.  Sentiment and spirituality help me be a better genealogist.  Sometimes I swear I can feel my ancestors guiding my way and aiding me in finding them.  I get sentimental, wanting to find the whole story, not just stop with their names and dates.  I have the Scottish appreciation of the arts – music, drama, photography.  My Scottish ancestors were social and friendly when they got to know people, but introverted before that.   One of the more questionable traits they gave me was a great enjoyment of food, and it shows around my waistline!

                From Ireland I got an obsession with the weather.  I may not watch the news every day, but I do make sure I catch the weather daily.  I have three weather apps on my phone.  I’ve taken storm spotter classes and in college I took a class in meteorology.  I also received an overprotective streak.  I baby the boys (one is 30, the other is 14).  I’m not sure how many times my husband has said “you need to cut the cord!”  I’m doing better with my older son, but the younger one is still my cub and mama bear is ever watchful.  And perhaps my worst personality trait came from Ireland: procrastination.  I put everything off.  If I need to have a program done, I finish it the day before it is due.  I’m not as bad as I used to be, but I still have a long way to go.

             

An eagle I photographed on one of our morning rides.

   My as-yet-unknown Norwegian ancestors gave me a pretty wonderful trait, too.  I love nature.  I enjoy sitting on a pond bank, watching the grasses wave in the wind and the water lap the shore.  We take rides each weekend, looking for wildlife and beautiful sunrises to photograph.    

                My DNA makes me who I am and those who came before me all contributed.  I appreciate them and work to find each one and preserve their stories for those who will come later.  Alexander McQueen stated, “It’s good to know where you come from.  It makes you what you are today.  It’s DNA.  It’s in the blood.”

                In my blood runs the blood of thousands.  Brave women who raised their children on new frontiers.  Hard working men who took care of those women and children.  Soldiers and sailors. Doctors and farmers.  Mothers and milliners.  Their blood, their personality traits course through my veins, making me the person I am.  Without them, I would not be here.