Stories That Bind Us {3}

Growing up in a family of six very competitive children I have always wondered how it has been possible for me to have such close relationships with each of my siblings. Even with the 2-20 year age gaps, we have all always maintained a close knit bond with one another.

My whole life I attributed these close relationships to my family's musical background.

All six of us began our musical studies between the ages of 2-4. From performing to competing, we have traveled all across the globe as concert pianists. There have been countless times where we had to compete and sometimes face defeat in the face of another sibling but we have always been supportive of each other regardless of the circumstances. I always considered the power of music to be the underlying reason of why we could stay close to each other even under hard circumstances. It wasn't until I read "The Stories That Bind Us" article in the New York Times that I began to realize that music was not the only factor behind the developed harmony in my family.

As a child I was enraptured with the stories my grandmother would share with me about my grandfather and his service in World War II--specifically his involvement in the battle of the bulge. Even though he passed away before I was born these stories made me feel like I knew him. 

Understanding your ancestry inherently makes you feel closer to your family and gives your family a mutual purpose. As we have gotten older and traveled across the world. My siblings have

ended up in New York City, Orange County, and all across the state of Utah. This distance has created more of a wedge in our tightly knit relationships. A couple of months the ago my oldest sister felt the desire to dig deeper into our family ancestry. At this same time I happened upon some information about or family tree while I was at Disneyland of all places. I was able to trace the Coombs name back to the medieval ages where I discovered our family coat of arms. I was so excited to share this with my family and you can only imagine my surprise when I heard that my sister was also looking for ancestry ties. Our genealogy work has brought my family closer and is continuing to fill the distances between us. One thing I know with assurance is that we were placed in specific families for specific reasons. Knowing our family genealogy ties our families together regardless of where they go because it instills a closeness unmatched by any other.