How do you "do" history? When enough of us share memories and insights, then a picture develops. I like to share family and other stories that are just good, and provide some historical insight. Here's a part of the picture that sent me down this road.
For a long time in Texas public schools, J. L. Clark's textbook on Texas history was the standard for junior high school mandatory classes. My mother was his secretary for a season, and one afternoon when I was 9, sitting in his office, he offered me a simple project. Fold some paper, and seal it with sealing wax. Blue and red were available, along with a signet ring with a large H. I did a few, and stamped the insignia in the wax with the ring.
I looked over at him and he asked if I liked the process. "Yes, but what is the H?
"Sam Houston", he said.
"The college?"
"No, Sam himself. That is his kit and his ring you're using. If you're through, I need to take them back to the museum this afternoon."
That capital H became more than Houston in that moment. It became a new face for History! History in your hands is just not the same as history on a printed page! It takes on a life of its own, and grows when it is shared.
History is not irrelevant stuff you gotta memorize! History is the retained past, things other people did in their own "moment" when they were all involved in their "today".
When you track your own heritage and history, and understand how things got to be the way they are, you're equipped for tomorrow, as well as you can be.
