RootsTech
was back in person this year, and although there had been keynotes during the
online conferences, there was something extra special in having live keynotes again.
There was an energy and an excitement from being in the Main Hall along with so
many other people, all listening to the people on stage. The keynotes this year
included Jordin Sparks, the youngest ever winner of American Idol, and photographer,
Me Ra Koh, but for me the best session was on the Saturday.
I had grown
up in the 60s watching Sean Astin’s parents on TV. The Addams Family starred
his father, John Astin, as Gomez Addams, and I regularly watched his mother’s
two roles in The Patty Duke Show. I knew he was their son, but I had never seen
any of his movies, even The Lord of the Rings (even though I had read
the books when I was young).
Sean Astin
came across as such a grounded and self-effacing person. He seemed genuinely
nice. Never was this more apparent than
when he was telling the story of how an Anasazi elder had given him a trail
name: “Gentle Wind Eagle.” He told Sean ‘the eagle has the greatest vision of
all animals and you have the ability to see into people’s hearts.’
Another thing
that came across was how important to him his wife and daughters are.
He told us about
his eldest daughter’s interest in genealogy. She investigated their family background,
including the adopted and step members as well as the biologicals. When Sean
told her he was doing RootsTech she said that she could trace his ancestry back
to Charlemagne, but was stuck on one 4th great-grandfather on mother’s
side and one person other on his father’s side – could he please ask the FamilySsearch
people for help.
Sean texted
her and asked why she loved genealogy, and a reply came through: “‘It’s the way
to learn about the ancestors that live on through me. We are the key to our
ancestors’ eternal life & through my children in a way I’ll live on forever,
so it’s important to honor that … I think we all repeat certain generational
patterns and learning from my ancestry is the biggest cheat-sheet to solving
life’s greatest problems.” This is something that resonates with all of us who
are addicted to family history.
Sean’s mother
had told him stories when he was growing up, but he didn’t care, which he is
now embarrassed about. Even when his daughter was looking into their family
history he didn’t understand the attraction. Then Tamara from FamilySearch
presented him with his genealogy. And there is so much that suddenly bought it
alive – a great-grandfather who registered and served in WWI and as an old man
in WWII, and a grandfather who served in WWII. He was particularly fascinated
by the picture he was shown of the boat two of his ancestors came out on.
He was
proud to learn that six of his eight great-grandparents had come from Ireland: “they
were workers”. His mother had said of him “you worked so hard for this success”,
which is one of the nicest things she’d said, and now he sees that that work
ethic didn’t just come from his mother, but comes down through his lineage. Sean
said that understanding where you come from really helps you become “more”. “This
is a way to bring us together. There are so many things that pull us apart”. When
asked what he wanted his grandchildren to focus on about him, he considered the
question and answered “kindness”.
Next in
that session was a surprise guest: Adassa, who voiced Delores in
Encanto.
A video was shown where she was presented with stories of her family history.
Then she sang.
As the song
started it sounded a bit familiar. The I realized that she was singing Uniting,
the song RootsTech’s own Jonathan Wing had written as the conference song. She
was joined in the performance by Chad Truman and the One Voice Children’s
choir. This was a slower version of the song, but it sent a chill down my
spine. Listen to the two versions and see what you think: the version on the
kickoff video, and the Adassa/Chad Truman/One Voice Children’s choir version (the song comes in at 42:47).
Disclaimer: As a RootsTech Influencer I receive complimentary admission to the event, invitations to some extra events and dinners and a free registration to give to one of my readers. I bear the cost of my return airfares from Australia and pay for my accommodation and meals.
