Much of history is lost to us, despite thousands of satellites circling the globe and billions of people living upon this good Earth. We continue to discover (or rediscover) items that have been hidden for thousands of years. Some are treasures with monetary value beyond measure, while others have more intrinsic value. All were of some value to someone in the past, and each bit of history we find reminds us that we too are mere mortals.
What is important is that we keep looking. Whether it is the Ark of the Covenant, da Vinci's lost mural or my car keys, we don't give up. Our monkey curiosity propels us forward, wanting to make that connection between the past and the present, and trying to understand what the future brings us.
I recently tracked down the name of my great aunt on my mother's side of the family. There is certainly no monetary value attached to this, but it fills in a blank in our family tree that has been staring at me for years. It doesn't appear she had children, so while there are no relatives along that branch to find, discovering that tells me I can stop looking and let my attention drift elsewhere.
While it would take months to fully investigate the chambers and catalog the contents of Tutankhamun's tomb, it all started with a tiny breach to peer into the darkness and gaze upon history, of what Howard Carter indicated were "...wonderful things." Never give up...keep looking.
