Month: June 2020

Great stories

Action 12/30

DNA Mel

Time to take some action – Time is slipping away…

You may not be ready to take the leap and do a DNA test just yet but what about starting to record your family tree?

It is free to put a tree on Ancestry, you dont need a membership. Start with yourself and work backwards. Add your parents and grandparents and so on.

You could start by talking to your oldest living relative, ask them to identify people in photographs, ask them what they remember about their grandparents. Record their stories. 

There may be a family member who has started a family tree already. 

I’m happy to help with a chat to get you going or you may be interested in my research packages.

I am happy to do general genealogical research without DNA if that is what you are interested in. 

Drop me an email mel@thednaconnection.com.au I would love to hear from you. 

Great stories

Inspire 11/30

DNA Mel

What inspires me?

I love finding the stories behind the names and the photos. I love being inspired to connect the past to the future. 

Take this photo that Mum sent to me the other day, we know that this is our family and that there are photos of my ancestors in it but we dont know which ones they are. 

There are no inscriptions or names on the back, we have a rough idea who the groom is but thats it. It would be great if someone else in the family has the same photo and could solve the puzzle. 

I get just as much excitement finding stories for others as I do myself. I get just as excited with the stories and bringing people alive.

There has been times when I have been uninspired with my research, I may have hit a brick wall or got stuck on a family line. I have been frustrated with not knowing where to search or whom could help me. 

How can we move past being uninspired?

Some tips which may help:

  • Share the problem with a friend – Speak to a fellow researcher, join a local family history group
  • Reach out to libraries or local history groups, send an email and share your research problem maybe they have the missing part you need.
  • Message boards while are becoming a little less in vogue, searching through past messages or adding a new message may help
  • Facebook groups – search and join and ask your questions.
  • Learn more – This might be reading a book or searching online. It may be a course or webinar. 

What other tips have you found that have got you going when your feeling uninspired?

 

Great stories

Fave Food 9/30

DNA Mel

Cadbury Pineapple Chocolate is my fave food. I cant resist the squishy sloppy mess. Living in Queensland it has to be eaten directly from the fridge so that there is a hard crunch as you bite into the sticky pineapple awesomeness. Its not assisting with my weight loss journey but it is certainly adding to the happiness and greatfulness journey.

I get super sad when I cant find it on the shelf at the supermarket. But I get super happy when its on special.

I have tried alternatives, like the pineapple lumps bit the pineapple remains superior.

Am I solo in this love? 

#contentology #day9 #favefood #cadbury #squishystickyyum

Great stories

Overwhelmed 8/30

DNA Mel

Missing family members or unknown parents can be overwhelming. Not knowing where to start to find out can be crippling.

Who can help? Is it worth searching? What if it all happened for a reason? 

All these feelings can be overwhelming and the feeling of doing it all on your own and at times in secret, can be a challenge.

There can be family secrets where discretion and confidentiality are paramount.

DNA Testing can be overwhelming too – What do I do with my results? I didnt get the matches that I expected? What do I do now?

This is where hiring an genetic genealogist may help. We can work with you to find your way or do the research for you.

Dont feel overwhelmed, we can help. 

Great stories

Money 7/30

DNA Mel

Money – An interesting topic in which to write about

Money is the exchange of value. It can be payment for assistance, transfer of knowledge, use of skills or doing tasks for others.

Its delivery of service, helping each other out. Rewarding knowledge and skills. Paying for items or services. 

Is what we are willing to pay different when it relates to our values? I think when I value something more, I will work harder to get it or pay more if I can see it as more valuable.

Is what you spend your money on a reflection of your values?

I hate to think how much money I have spent on learning, creativity and travel……and birth, death and marriage certificates and DNA kits 🙂

If you want to trade some of your money for value – check out my research packages

#contentology #day7 #money

Great stories

Self Care 6/30

DNA Mel

Self care can look so many ways. Today I will share with you just two of the ways I care for me. 

I love Kikki K and all that that shop has inspires me to be organised and creative. I loved the Cairns Store and spent weekends going to all of the workshops and have sad since the store closed. 

After reading Kristina’s Book “Your Dream Life Starts Here” I found that many things in my life were different. This book encourages you to dream and to consider what life would be like if there were no limits. This is where the dream of The DNA Connection began. 

Each morning I now spend what I call “The Power Hour” dreaming, learning or reading. Its my hour over my coffee just for me. It was the time that I worked though the book and journal. 

My second self love is getting my nails done. I love just sitting and being pampered. My chewed nails get to look girly and pretty. 

What do you do for Self Love? Drop me a message 

#contentology #day6 #selflove 

Great stories

Love 5/30

DNA Mel

There is so much to love about life right now. During these covid times I have been able to enjoy more time to get researching and working on cases.

I have loved being home just a little bit more and hanging with the four legged creatures that share our home.

Molly and Ezra - Love doesnt go both ways

My craft room has been rearranged many times and the quilt that I am working on has been sewn and unpicked too many times to count – (Im on the hunt to borrow a long arm quilting machine if anyone knows anyone with one) 

I have loved that FINALLY Cairns restaurants have opened more options for home delivery or take away – Thanks Iyara by Sakare for my fav thai 

I love that my local coffee hangout – Barista Sista has stayed open so I can get my fav coffee 

I love that I have had more zoom calls and phone calls with friends and family.

I love that we are able to get out and explore further afield again. #shouldbeflyingtobalitoday #watcchthisspace

Well I’m off to do more that I love this weekend with DNA Drop in Clinic at Cairns Family History 

#contentology #day5 #love

Great stories

Focus 4/30

DNA Mel

Sometimes my brain runs a million miles an hour and I need to step away from the family trees and the DNA, or my day job and just focus on something else.

When I’m creating with fabric, thread or paper is when my creative thinking kicks in and I can solve the problems of the world. 

What do you spend your down time focusing on? Drop me a comment or pic below

#contentology #day4 #focus

Great stories

Alignment 3/30

DNA Mel

In one of the cases that I was worked on, where we were working on finding a missing birth father, i quickly learnt through ethnicity reports that my client was going to have links to an indigenous past.

This photo was found along the way and I would love to know the stories behind this picture. 

Ancestry has updated their ethnicity reports to now include links to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander regions. When this update occured my clients ethnicity reflected this group. It was a moment to be celebrated.

During this journey we reached out to an Indigenous organisation to assist with information on her family and her DNA links, this wasn’t helpful – I hope in time these organisations will have the skills to understand DNA and use DNA to confirm links back to the past. 

I look forward to sharing my knowledge and the power of DNA to confirm identity and links back to culture.

#NRW2020   #InThisTogether2020

#contentology #blacklivesmatter

Adoption, Great stories

Soul Chat 2/30

DNA Mel

Are you adopted or missing a family member?

I see you and I have heard the challenges that you have faced across your life.

Its painful and challenging to live with not knowing and always wondering why or what if….

I know in my heart that my purpose is to bring connections from the past to the present, that might be in a number of different ways and for a multitude of different reasons.

I believe we all have the right to connect to our ancestors and find the answers that we seek.

So this is where I bear my soul a little…..  For the past few years I have been working on developing The DNA Connection but felt held back by my professional career as a nurse. 

Its only in the last few months that I have reflected that all the skills I have learnt while being a nurse holds me in great stead for the work that happens within The DNA Connection.

I look forward to sharing my soul and learning about the souls of my clients from both the past and the future. 

#soulchat #contentology #day2 

Great stories

Motivate 1/30

DNA Mel

What motivates me to do this work?

I have always had an interest in history and over time this has evolved to be family history or genealogy (if we are using the correct term). I love searching for ancestors and finding the little stories and tales about them. As I research I feel them come alive, as I read another newspaper article or match a face to the person in a photograph.

Learning about our ancestors brings reflection for ourselves. Where does my love of needlework and lacemaking come from? Where does my nose come from? What genetic code did I get from my great great grandmother? All these questions pop up for me while I am researching my own tree.

When researching trees for others I dont typically know what will bring a smile to my clients face. Is it the stories that are found in a marriage certificate? It is the letter home from the war? Is it that Great Granny Jones was a successful business woman? 

When we research our past – we learn from our past how does this affect our identity? Does some of the patterns from our ancestors reflect in our current lives?

Hilda Richards - Nurse
My Great Grandmother Hilda Richards was a Registered Nurse

My Great Grandmother Hilda Richards was a Registered Nurse in Bendigo, Victoria. Is this part of the reason that I became a nurse? Is it in the DNA I inherited from her? She would be run off her toes if she was here in the times of Covid 19, with that infectious diseases training!

I am motivated to help you discover your history, bringing you connections to your past, which in turn might lead you to discover more about yourself.

If you are interested in starting the journey, I would love to assist you – Why not check out my research packages?