Our Last Day of Research

This has been another whirlwind tour. 10 days ago, we were eager with anticipation, a little nervous about whether we were prepared or whether we would find anything, and a bit timid as we embarked to become a group. 

Now 10 days in, we are friends, connected to each other, to Edinburgh, to our ancestors and to our heritage. We openly admit our love for this city. We are genuinely interested in how our comrades are doing in their research. We are grateful for their excitement when they hear our discoveries. 

Our connection to Scotland, to our ancestors and to our heritage is just starting to form. We feel at home here. We are comfortable in our city. But we are just beginning to understand just where we fit in. We know more about our ancestor's lives and as a result we are more connected to them and to our own history. We are amazed at just how courageous and emotionally strong our ancestors were. We could never imagine ourselves in their situation and continuing to move forward. Children lost, husband or wives lost, homelands left behind. Our pride in them deepens beyond measure and as a result, our pride in our own Scottish heritage does as well. 

Some of us will enjoy a much needed holiday. Some will visit friends or family. Once we get back and look over the records again, recall our time in the archives, libraries and genealogy societies, and process the emotions of our discoveries, the real connection to our ancestors and to our heritage will begin. We will start to see ourselves in relation to our ancestors, to others with Scottish heritage and to the larger Diaspora. We have a common connection. One we are proud of and we will start to embrace that more as we continue to process the documents and relive the memories of our time in our ancestral homeland. We are now forever changed. All because we took the leap of faith and made the decision to travel to Scotland to research our family history.