Family history more than names and dates
- col-bobbie-randall
- June 25, 2025
- 336
Tracing family lineage connects people with their heritage and can help them understand their own identity. A family tree that seems bare can blossom when limbs and leaves are added to the trunk.
Honoring the connection with those who came before can give a sense of completeness and belonging. While typing in names, birth dates, wedding days and dates of death, more questions often arise than are answered. During a family search, I wondered what part of me was like my ancestors.
Recently, I’ve learned that although my name is unusual for a woman, two other females in my family were given the name Roberta. I also found my grandfather’s birthday was only five days after mine but was born 74 years earlier.
I have started to pay attention to the heads and hairdos of my relatives. Many of us have been blessed with the family cowlick. That is the swirl of hair that has a mind of its own and sticks up when the weather is humid. A very prominent one shows up when my hair is very short. My son can count five circling his head. My father was the king of cowlicks; perhaps that is why he always had the barber cut it military short.
All of my dad’s nine brothers and sisters had brown eyes and dark hair, except the youngest brother, who had blue eyes and light hair. This anomaly was a gift from Grandma’s lineage.
Cowlicks and eye color are not the only traits that are passed by our DNA. Research on twins separated at birth reveals personalities and preferences also are handed down as genetic characteristics, but that is an entirely different discussion.
Medical histories can be traced through family lineage. Flat feet and bunions are passed on from one generation to the next. Foot problems are not the only medical issues that follow the family line.
Someone may be in denial of their medical genetic background until their family tree justifies their concern. Horror stories of how grandparents dealt with specific medical problems usually accompany denial. Resigning to a similar fate as ancestors can be depressing and life-threatening.
Medical research and advancements have upgraded the treatment of many genetic medical issues. Improved nutrition, education and treatment with the latest procedures are the keys to avoiding unwanted complications and repeating history.
During the annual Fourth of July family picnic, take time to talk to your family about cowlicks and flat feet. Your relatives’ medical issues could be yours someday.
Short of being a bore or a sympathy seeker, alert the rest of your family to the major health issues you may be facing. Communication can save someone’s life with early diagnostic tests and improved treatments.
Aunt June’s ability to put her foot in her mouth with impeccable honesty may not be a podiatric problem. Grandfather John’s cardiac issues triggered his death when he was 45 years old. Aunt Betty’s diabetes caused her blindness. Cardiac disease and diabetes can now be treated.
Bobbie Randall is a registered, licensed dietitian. Email her at bobbierandallrd@gmail.com.