Public Libraries of Suffolk County, New York

Translating your past, finding meaning in family ancestry, genetic clues, and generational trauma, Michelle Van Loon

eng

Includes bibliographical references

no index present

non fiction

Translating your past

bibliography

Michelle Van Loon

finding meaning in family ancestry, genetic clues, and generational trauma

"Uncover the spiritual strength of your family story. We all have a desire to learn more about where we've come from, and technology has made this more possible than ever. But our family stories are more than a list of DNA results on a piece of paper or a bunch of fading Kodachrome images filling old photo albums. In an era often marked by both fragmentation in family and culture and a hunger to discover our genetic roots, our family stories-including the difficult, complex ones-can carry great spiritual strength. The desire to trace, interpret, and pass on our family's history is embedded in Scripture from beginning to end-there are nine genealogies found in the book of Genesis alone. When we bring together the various threads of our family stories with Scripture's insights, they can provide the key to decoding our identity and helping us discover our place in family, church, and world. In Translating Your Past, author Michelle Van Loon helps readers uncover how patterns and gaps in family histories, generational trauma, adoption, genetic clues and surprises, spiritual history, and the church help us translate our own pasts and understand why these stories matter. Each chapter includes questions designed for individual reflection or small group discussion, as well as an appendix of helpful tools readers can use to translate their own pasts and create meaning in order to transform their unique family history into living, faith-filled heritage"--, Provided by publisher

Message in a bottle: Learning to pay attention to the story the past is telling us -- The original family tree: Anchoring ourselves in a larger story as we delve into our own family history -- Decoding the double helix: Deciphering the language of our DNA -- The unwanted "gift" that keeps giving: Understanding how trauma can encode itself into our family history -- Patterns and promises: Identifying the consequences of our forebears' decisions -- Filling in the blanks: Listening to the mysteries in our family narrative -- For this child I prayed: Discovering the blessings and challenges of adoption in a family's story -- Who are my people? Discerning the ways that race, ethnicity, and religion shaped the experience and identity of our ancestors -- From generation to generation: Interpreting the past gives meaning to our present and helps us create an informed, faithful legacy for the future

Finding meaning in family ancestry, genetic clues, and generational trauma