The events that have taken place in my family this month have caused me to think about those things we include in our family histories.?

Are we leaving out the important details that make each person an individual? Are the vital statistics the only things we want to include in our book or journal?

Many readers are not interested in the birth, death and marriage dates, but they are interested in the people. We as genealogists consider vital statistics an important part of our history, but we also need to include those stories and events that make each person special.

Non genealogists usually want to know how members of the family lived their lives. Where their family lived, what they did for a living and who they married is far more interesting than the date they married or the date they died.

A compliment such as "I would enjoy reading about your research even if I was not interested in genealogy," means a great deal to me. The description of the methods used in the research and the results, has captured the interest of the reader. It is for this reason I read the newspaper articles about a family who has lived on the same land for generations, the family who has five or six living generations and the way they lived their lives; it is of special interest to me.???

Rachael, our granddaughter, has been touring New Zealand and sends us e-mails along her route. The latest adventure was titled "One of the Greatest Days of My Life." Her first (tandem) sky dive!

They began the process by watching videos to learn the correct procedure, and then they suited up and loaded the plane. Her suggestion is if you are going to do this, do it big.

As she watched each person's facial expression as they jumped, she wondered how she would react when her instructor pushed her to the exit.?

They waited for clearance from air traffic control to climb to 15,000 feet (the United States only allows jumps from 12,000 feet). Finally, Roy, her instructor, yells "Are you ready Mate?"

You could not see the ground through the clouds. Fear sets in and many thoughts and worries run through your head: "What if the chute does not open." What if I break my leg in the landing?

A touch of nausea mixed with a million butterflies overwhelm you and you want to turn back, but the instructor shoves you to the door. The second you jump out, your mind becomes clear.

Rachael said all of her worries about her family, job, future and concerns with the status of the chute just vanished. Her mind became clear for the first time she could ever recall. She lived for the moment, taking every second of the adrenaline like it is the air she breathes. She had touched the clouds and has a wonderful video to prove it.

I thanked her very much for not telling us before hand that she was planning this adventure. There are some things grandmothers and grandfathers are better off not knowing prior to the event.

Will I include this event when I write about Rachael? Absolutely, because this is the way she has chosen to live her life. When she is older and life seems to be dull she can look back and remember the day, "her mind became clear for the first time, as she jumped from the plane, over New Zealand, 15,000 feet up."

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