FAMILIES FOREVER?

Could Adam & Eve possibly have imagined what they were starting?  Many, many millennia later, after much begetting and  begatting, the Human Family has a unique place in mankind’s culture.  What we see, worldwide, in the 21st century, is an institution that can trace its roots to the very beginning – self evidently!

Arguably we are all one family – or is each family one of millions?  Some families, often literally, have carved a place in our consciousness, and their name has become a byword for a variety of human characteristics.

Were Noah and his family animal lovers or just pragmatists with an eye for the future?  Certainly they seem to have had differing views of where their paths would lead them – though not as extreme as the brothers Cain & Abel.

The families of Egypt’s ancient Pharaohs were certainly not your typical long-living, healthy unit, their custom of marrying brother to sister to ensure the purity of the dynasty, was somewhat self-defeating, though not in Cleopatra’s case.

Genghis Khan seems to have had a very individual and personal view of what constitutes a family.  DNA tests suggest that his genes can be traced in some 30% of the population of the Northern Hemisphere.  Nevertheless his immediate family dominated Asia for hundreds of years.

The Tudors were a very successful, self-made family for many years, providing England & Wales with five separate monarchs, but running out of steam with a Virgin Queen, opening the door to the Scottish Stuarts.  The House of Hanover, now Windsor, looks set to outstrip most previous dynasties, despite having some slightly dysfunctional members.

The Borgias were one of the most powerful and influential families in the Courts of Europe for many years, bringing poison to an art form and a whole new meaning to `Guess who`s coming to Dinner?'.

Which families influence the present day?  The Kennedys, the Waltons or the Simpsons?  And which family will influence the future?  Maybe yours?  Who knows, but what helps make a family strong is to know itself, its roots.  Knowing where it has come from, will help to take it forward successfully.  Today’s parents are tomorrow’s ancestors.

familychest.net have a brand new product which promotes the Family Unit and creates an identity in which all members of the family can share.  It provides the opportunity for a family to define itself, present, past & future, and to start chronicling its own history.  The Chest itself is an attractive piece of furniture which could grace any sideboard or provide a centrepiece.

The contents are generous and designed to create an ongoing history of this family, past, present and into the future.  Clear guidance notes are included to make sure you get the most out of what will become a family heirloom.  Additionally there is reading matter on the significance of family ties and the Legacy an individual can leave from their life.  An attractive leather bound journal provides the means of recording events that have, and continue to make up the family history.  A matching photograph album houses ‘definitive’ family pictures over the years,  together with a sheet to record the “Family Tree” and continue it.

Once it is up and running, the Chest can become the focal point of family get togethers, where this year’s events can be added and past years re-lived.  Children and grandchildren can learn about their roots and explore a Treasure Chest of memories, where parent, grandparents and great grandparents(!), are never forgotten.  At £98.50 (plus p & p), the Family Chest makes the perfect gift for friends, family or oneself.  Obviously particularly suitable for weddings and births, but also for retirement, when time to create it is available.