In Recalling Our Own Stories: Spiritual Renewal for Religious Caregivers, Edward Wimberly pairs a transgenerational approach from Bowen family systems theory with the reauthoring from a narrative approach in order to bring about spiritual and emotional renewal in the lives of religious caregivers. I propose to follow this model, investigating my own family of origin to renew strengths and discover patterns that may need changing. Murray Bowen suggests that it can be helpful to look as far back as 300 years, something few people ever have time to do. During my sabbatical I intend to follow my family back to the Rev. John Thomson, who arrived in North America in 1715 and in the 1750’s preached in Rowan County, North Carolina where I now live and minister. Retracing the family will take me back to my roots in Appalachia to walk parts of the Middle (New) River, through the Valley of Virginia where many ancestors passed, up to Lewes, Delaware where John Thomson served his first church, and across the Atlantic to the University of Glasgow, where Thomson studied, and to Northern, Ireland, where he was licensed to preach by Ardmagh Presbytery in 1713.