( CNN ) -- `` Yesterday is gone . Tomorrow has not yet come . We have only today . Let us begin . '' -- Mother Teresa . Maybe it was because my parents were immigrants , who scraped by most of their lives and were always forced to plan for tomorrow . Maybe it was because some of the scars from their past were too painful , and they felt those moments should be forgotten . It could be they felt their lives were moving so quickly that if they spent much time in the past , they would lose out on their future . No matter what the reason , when I told my parents we were going on a journey to the other side of the world to find our roots , they were a little skeptical . Sure , a family medical history was important to know , but learning about our ancestors ' lives ? They were n't all that interested . In many ways , they believed that visiting the past would be , at best , a luxury . At worst , it would be a complete waste of time . They would be the first to tell you now it was a wonderfully transformative experience that brought three generations of our family closer together . As much as I thought I knew the story of my family , I really only had a few headlines . I did n't know the nuances , the details , the tidbits that painted a more complete picture of who we really are . I did n't know that my dad 's great-uncle was a freedom fighter who was jailed twice for speaking truth to power . I did n't know that my great-grandfather gave away all his money and land ( and a herd of buffalo ) to the priests in the north Indian community where he lived with his wife and five sons . Even 100 years later , they describe him as the most charitable person who ever lived in that small town . I did n't know that at 6 feet 4 inches , he was able to jump over a water buffalo in one leap . I did n't know when my mom fled as a 5-year-old refugee from the bloody partition in 1947 , that her Hindu relatives all disguised themselves in the traditional garb of Muslims to blend in and ensure their safety . I saw that scared little girl in my mind and better understood the remarkably resilient woman who grew up to be my mother . At one point during our trip , she turned to her three granddaughters and said , `` I am proof that anything is possible . '' To understand truly where you are going , it helps to understand from where you came . There are so many moments from our journey that I will never forget . There was the camel ride on Karachi beach in Pakistan with my mom . For the first time , she shared some of the awful details of her life as a refugee . That beach was the last place she saw before leaving the war-torn country . She never imagined returning . Another moment involved ancient scrolls that date back 40 generations . My father 's side of the family had its history recorded going back nearly 1,000 years -- and the look on my father 's face when he saw the scrolls for the first time will forever be seared in my mind . I will never forget the questions my daughters started asking -- not just the names of their ancestors , but what kind of people were they , really ? I can now honestly answer some of those questions . I can tell them the extraordinary story of how their grandparents met . It 's a tale that will inspire faith even in the most cynical of people . Even today , many Indians still have arranged marriages . But in the mid-1960s , my parents , two young college students , started a romance in Ann Arbor , Michigan , and fell in love . `` Then you happened , '' my dad told me with a smile as we stood in the exact spot they first met . If you are reading this , you 're probably already interested in the idea of finding your roots . Here is what I 've learned : . While the journey was life-altering , I will most remember the conversations we had along the way . There is something about finding your roots that fosters and nurtures family discussions that you would not otherwise have had . Mother Teresa was right : Yesterday is gone . But I learned , along with my family , that it is very worthwhile to pay a visit every now and then .
Dr. Sanjay Gupta traveled from Pakistan to Michigan to discover his family 's roots . (CNN) -- Gupta says he will most remember the conversations they had along the way .