Our Family Tree and My Grandma
Working as a mental health therapist, I would create a genogram for every client I worked with. With the aide of the genogram in front of me, I could remember all of the history that the client had shared with me during previous sessions. Who was married to who, the bio-parents of everyone, the divorces and marriages, who had mental health issues, chronic illness, alcohol abuse and of course who was living or had passed on. It was like a snapshot of the family history. And most important, it showed me where the client was embedded in that history.
My paternal grandmother was a very industrious woman. She was always busy working the farm, canning and baking, doing handwork of all kinds and creating ingenious ideas. She had started working on our family tree, bits of papers everywhere, trying to compile a history for the family. One day my grandpa was reading his agricultural journal, the Chicago Packer, when a name caught his eye. “Lelia – there is this Apple King of West Virginia whose last name is Leatherman. Wonder if you are related to him?” Being the industrious and curious woman that she was, Grandma immediately sent the Apple King a letter asking about his lineage. His response was overwhelming. This Leatherman was also interested in his ancestry and had compiled a family tree going back to 1710 in Germany! He offered to share his family tree with her – and what do you know – they lined up perfectly. Grandma had found our spot in a much larger DNA circle.
My Grandmother’s Drawing of our Family Ancestery
At first Grandma was overwhelmed with her task of how to compile all of the information. She secured a very large piece of butcher paper and using a piece of wood from her window blind system for a straight edge she went to work on the living room floor. Since that time other family members have used her drawing of our history to represent this information in digital form and many other visual displays of our ancestry.
As you will notice by the photo above, it still exists in its original form. If I can figure out how to preserve this precious document it will continue to be passed on through many more generations.
One of SoulCollage® suits in the SoulCollage® Deck is called the Community Suit. It is comprised of those who have supported us and influenced our lives. This suit includes those places, individuals and groups beyond our lineages but is inclusive of our ancestry.
My SoulCollage Community Card for Grandma (Dad’s Mom)
(As you can see I was only a beginner in SoulCollage® so a very simple card without much creativity or embellishments - which is just fine!)
I made this Community Suit card to represent my grandma. I do not remember her. Our only meeting was when I was about two years old. She was living in an institution for those with dementia. After we left, she walked around for days carrying an imagined baby in her arms. Thus, I know we connected. Stories of her life, her energy, her determination to meet challenges were often told around the table – then “Sheila, she’s a lot like you!” I do feel I have her spirit and energy living in my life. Or maybe I just believed what they told me and became so.
The photo in the background shows the only visit I had with her. She is sitting on the bench with my mother and father. The front picture is my Grandma with my dad when he was about the same age as I was when I met her. Making this SoulCollage® card of Grandma for the Community Suit helps me remember the influences from our ancestors that shape our lives. Grandma might be horrified about where my energy has taken me – but she would recognize that energy as her own.
SoulCollage® is a powerful tool for self-discovery and growth. The real representation of ourselves is a much larger picture than we can fully imagine. SoulCollage® gives us a broader and deeper view of ourselves.