What Journey?

History today is taught so differently from when I was a kid. I was born in Independence, Missouri where the journey west really began for many people. There is at least one spot there where the ruts from the wagon trains can still be seen.

To top it off, I was born on July 4, so it is no surprise I have an absolute love for American history. My husband likes to tease me and say that I watch the History Channel to be sure they get it right. But even that channel isn't what it could be or what it was.

I had a fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Cordell, who infused me with a love of history. She taught the basics that everyone knows, but she also made it real. Looking back I realize that isn't hard to do when you live in a history rich era.

In more recent years, Mrs. Everett, was my history teacher in college. She loves history so much she has spent vacations exploring historical sites. She has climbed into tunnels where railroad tracks used to go, interned for a congressman in Washington, DC and just been there to see it for herself. It reflects in her teaching.

Because of my love for history, I have become a VERY amateur genealogist. I have been researching my family tree since 1994, and am now in the process of writing a narrative for my children and first grandchild. I have come across stories that involved my family, stories that do not involve my family, and many other things that are not well-known. All this comes together as history.

Life isn't lived in a vacuum and the people who are history did not live in a vacuum. While some people decry the idea of teaching any history outside of their own, it is not possible to have the complete picture without what some are terming "alternative" history. When I say "alternative" I am not referring to the new fad of "what if's" that are becoming popular. I am referring to the history that is being taught and written about anyone other than the victor. The better term is probably "parallel history". The things taught occurred at the same time as the history we have all known and been taught. To get a complete picture, these things have to be taught and learned as well.

Most of the time, I will be telling stories about places, events, and people I run across that may be little known or not talked about. Sometimes it will be commentary on an event that is happening now which will be a part of our history in the future.

Look around you. What do you see as a part of history? The changes in your community are just as much a part of history as the big events we read about in the text book. Keep your eyes open to the history of small things too. Get the whole picture and remember lives are history.