There's nothing like a big assignment to remind you how much you don't know. Case in point: Vanessa had an assignment to complete a genagram for a Family Systems class for her Masters in Counseling program. She asked me to help her draw it out. She had the information but had difficulty with layout. She'd be the first to say she's spatially challenged. I see it in my head and can easily translate it to paper.
But back to the genagram: it's sorta like a family tree except the focal point is an individual, in this case, Vanessa. Starting with her, you map out parents and siblings. Then the parents' parents and siblings noting similarities, common threads, like every aunt on your mom's side died of heart disease.
So we're mapping this thing out and she is telling me how many brothers her paternal grandfather has and how they died and I'm thinking I don't know if I could give all these details for my family. Granted, she had to call her grandmothers for the info. I could ask my dad, he would know. We talk a lot about family. But what happens when he's gone and my (future) daughter (?) asks me about her great uncles and aunts? I don't know my family. I don't know their stories.
I don't know my own story.
And that is a shame.
