It's vitally important that we talk about memories we've experienced and those we heard from our parents and grandparents
I think one of the reasons I search with such interest into my paternal heritage is because there are no stories. My father was mostly absent when I was very young, and when he was around he wasn't a conversationalist 😄. He was a bully. His family was quite estranged from us because of that. Nobody wanted to cross him and make friends with my mother. The only exception to that was his mother (my grandmother) but even she walked on eggs. Not much of a conversationalist, either (though she was quite nice). We left, suddenly, when I was eleven to get away from him and that bad situation. It's as though my paternal heritage was denied me. So I reach across his generation and find my roots past him, mine by birthright.
That's a long answer....sorry, and food for more blogs, maybe. Thanks for reading and for commenting. Much appreciated.