Who are you?

During graduate school, I attended a class where I was told that people need to understand where they are from to really understand who they are.  We began an activity of introducing ourselves based on why we are who we are.

Why are you who you are?

I don't remember exactly what I said, but it was something to the effect that I had grown up in a strong LDS family.  Members of the LDS faith of certain dietary rules (such as no smoking, drinking alcohol and no tobacco).  My family took it to a level of "no caffeine" (the word of wisdom says no strong drinks, and modern science has proved caffeine is addictive, so I abide by my family's rule still).  We attend church weekly and worship.  My family history goes back to modern day Czech Republic, and I've been told I have a "Russian nose".  I also take pride in my very unusual last name (there are only 5 people in the state that have my last name, and others who have it as a maiden name).  I also have ancestry from the mormon pioneers, which means I have learned to work hard, and sacrifice.  

How would you describe yourself based on your ancestors?  

A few year back, I created this as a Christmas gift for my family.

It is a visual "family tree".   Each leaf represents a person (and I included dates and places).  There are 5 generations on this (my children to my great grandparents).  Everyone who got one hung it on their wall (so I guess that means it was a hit :).

If you are interested in directions on how to make one, please leave a comment.  

I enjoy looking at this and seeing where my ancestors came from.  On my tree, everyone is in the USA, but one generation further has ancestors from other countries.  Where our family comes from, their traditions, and many other life choices do effect us.  Just look at how many people had to come to the United States for me to end up living here?  

Take some time to study who you are, and ponder how your family effects who you are today.