We're moving into autumn again, a fabulous time of year. The oppressive heat and humidity of summer has begun to ease up. The days are shortening, the evenings are getting cooler, and, in many places in North America, the fall foliage colors can be glimpsed. Autumn also brings genealogists in the United States the opportunity to celebrate October as Family History Month.

Even if you live outside the United States, why not join the celebration. “What can I do to celebrate Family History Month?” Well, in this week's “Along Those Lines...”, let me offer you a few ways you can enjoy and celebrate your family history and share it with other members of your family.

Prepare an Old Family Recipe
You probably have a favorite family recipe that you loved when you were growing up. Even if you don't have your mother's or grandmother's handwritten recipe book or card file, you probably remember many of the ingredients you watched being lovingly added to the concoction. Why not visit your library or local bookstore, to browse the cookbooks to find a comparable recipe with all (or most) of the ingredients you remember?

You also can search the thousands of recipe websites on the Internet to locate a terrific recipe. If the recipes you find are missing the “secret ingredient,” try a search for the recipe title and the name of that ingredient. Maybe someone else was in on the secret!

Once you have the recipe, why not prepare the recipe for your family and friends. Give them a wonderful memory of a delicious family recipe. Oh, and by the way, why not create recipe cards--as decorative as you like with a drawing, a piece of clipart, or a photograph--and share your recipe with your family for future generations.

Review, Label, and Share Photos
You've put it off far too long, you know. Family History Month is a great time to sit down with other family members to share stories. Photographs evoke memories of time, place, and experience. Why not get a group together, pass the pictures, share the stories, and, while you're at it, label these treasures at long last?

Make sure you're using acid-free storage albums or boxes and labeling the paper photos with archival-safe pencils or markers.

Don't forget the digital photos you have. Devise a labeling system or index with file name and description. Burn the pictures (and an index) to a CD or purchase one of several photo-album software programs. Don't you wish your parents and other family members had labeled all those photos?

Start Journaling
What enduring legacy do you want to leave to your descendants? What do you want them to know of your life and your thoughts? Bound journals with blank or lined pages are available at bookstores, office supply stores, and from retailers on the Internet. Why not buy one and make a commitment to fill at least one page with your thoughts. Your journal will be a prompt to you in years to come to “remember” what you've done, experienced, and felt today, and it will be a beacon of insight to your descendants and their families.

Prepare for Your Winter Research
I've been watching the squirrels outside my office window the last few weeks. They are scampering about and they seem to be getting ready for winter. I recently shopped at my nearby office supply and discount stores and found that they still have some of their back-to-school merchandise I can use with my genealogy. Overstocks in binders and file folders, plastic coated paper clips, and some other items were marked down in price.

Don't overlook a new desk, chair, file cabinet, or new lighting fixtures for your work area. Watch the newspaper ads for office supply and home improvement stores. Don't overlook thrift shops for items you can repaint or refinish! Your goal is to prepare for those deep winter days when you can become immersed in your family research.

Host a Family Cookout
While it seems I must have food on the brain today, I will share with you the joy I had as a kid of a family barbecue on a crisp autumn day. Hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks, chicken, shrimp, sausage, roasted ears of corn, potatoes, and other vegetables are all tasty treats that can be prepared on the barbecue grill. Why not toast marshmallows over the hot coals as well? I have a special memory of roasting marshmallows, dipping them in chocolate syrup, and rolling them in chopped pecans. As a diabetic, I can't consider that treat for myself anymore but, boy, wouldn't the kids (and adults) in your family love this delicacy? Yummmmmm!

Celebrate!
If you're like me, you savor every opportunity to search for more family information. Let this October be a true Family History Month for you and CELEBRATE!

Happy Hunting!
George

George is president and a proud member of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors. Visit the ISFHWE Website at www.rootsweb.com/~cgc/.

Visit George's Website at ahaseminars.com/atl for information about speaking engagements.

Copyright 2004, MyFamily.com. All rights reserved.