Ancestors
I felt a little like an ancestry.com commercial when I got the email saying the results of my DNA test were in. I have always felt that I was about 75% German …
Not so.
And I’m delighted.
Now, if you’re of German heritage, don’t get your nose out of joint. I am, too. Just not as much as I thought. Good thing I never bought those lederhosen. Though being 48% is probably enough to make that ok if I had.
I’m sorry – I know I should be proud of this – many Germans have been, and still are, amazing people. But it’s hard, sometimes, for this woman born not that long after World War II to be happy about a heritage that seems a little, shall I say, besmirched. All the wonderful things that Germans and Germany have done pale in comparison for me when you stack them up with some of the stupid things they’ve also done.
But I digress.
What I wanted to be was Scots. My maiden name is Watson, and the family story is that the Watsons were from Wales. For years, I thought we were Welsh. Then I learned that the Watsons in Wales came from Scotland. Watson is a subset of Clan Buchanan, so that also made sense. I have a beautiful woolen blanket that I’ve been told came from the “Old Country,” and it’s clearly Black Watch tartan from Scotland. And, I’ve been to Scotland, several times. Each time, I felt at home, almost like I was coming home. So maybe I was more Scots than I thought.
Not so.
I am Scots. That’s true. About 12%. And another 8% is English. 20% if you’re being generous is Great British.
I was hoping for a “cool” ancestry – you know, Nigeria, or China, something that would belie my white-white skin and naturally blonde (at one time) hair. I thought that would be fun.
Not so.
The rest of my heritage is – and I would not have guessed this, but it makes sense – Scandinavian!
Actually, in thinking about it, and in studying the migrations of people, I feel pretty sure it’s either Danish (that 48% of Germans migrating North and marrying into Denmark) or – and I’m going with this one – Norwegian. Most particularly, VIKING. Yes, I’m sticking with that. I’m about 17% Viking.
No kidding.
It does make sense if you look at the Vikings having such a presence in the north of Great Britain long ago. And if you take into account my preference for wool sweaters, raw fish and winter sports. Well, actually, not so much, though I do like a nice wool sweater.
But does it matter? Does it really matter to my life if my ancestors wore kilts and paint or yodeled and drank a lot of beer? Or if they were raiders in longboats with horns on their heads? (Please accept my apologies for using every stereotype in the book, but after all, I am talking about my ancestors. And trying to be funny.)
Basically, we are all one family – had they gone back far enough, they would have found the connection to China. To Nigeria. To everyone else.
This is God’s earth. All of these distinctions are just man-made ways we use to distinguish ourselves from each other, and have no real meaning.
They sure are fun to think about though.
If you need help figuring out the complexities of life, even if ancestry isn’t part of it, give us a call. We are dedicated to helping you live your best life, and we love helping people of all ancestries become healthier individuals.
Sanctuary Christian Counseling
9974 Molly Pitcher Highway, Suite 4
Shippensburg, PA 17257
717-200-3158
info@sanctuarychristiancounseling.com
