Mother’s Day lesson

follow-up:  how did the story writing go?  (On the way home, I found a writing prompt in the children’s friend - best birthday)

Today we are going to focus outside of our own life stories and move to, most appropriately, mothers!

Life doesn’t come with a manual

It comes with a Mother

This Mother’s Day

Preserve and share the memories

Of the women who have loved you

Of the women who have mothered you

All of us have qualities we admire about our mothers.  Think of the things they’ve taught you.   A parent doesn't have to be perfect to make a perfectly great story.

In our family we have a story that has become legendary.  It’s called the gambling lesson:

My mom and dad were taking my 4 youngest brothers to California to visit her parents when they stopped at Circus, Circus to get a bite to eat.  In those days you could get an all-you-can-eat buffet for a couple of dollars.  On their way to the restaurant they had to pass by some slot machines.  My mom thought this would be a great opportunity to teach her boys about the evils of gambling. So she said, “Kids, come with me.  I’m going to teach you a quick lesson on gambling and how you’ll lose your money and never get it back.”  She stopped by the slot machine in the hallway and pulled out a quarter. 

“This is why we don’t gamble,” she said as she dropped the coin into the machine and pulled the lever down.  The pictures spun round and round.  And then something happened that she hadn’t planned on.  She won! She must have hit a royal flush or something because a whole bunch of quarters come tumbling out of the machine, the siren blares and lights start flashing. (As my brother Alex recalls, her jackpot amounted to $10 or $12.…it could have been $20.  No one remembers how much she won.  Only that she won.) 

My brother Joel was quick to respond, “Show me again, mom!” 

As soon as security heard the clinking of coins, they rushed right over.  The staff reprimanded her for gambling in the presence of kids.  (Some people just don’t appreciate a good teaching moment!)  Sue took her winnings, bought breakfast buffets for everyone and still had money left over.

On the way out of the restaurant, she tried once again to demonstrate the evils of gambling.  This time she went to a nickel slot machine.  She looked around to make sure no guards were watching.  In goes the nickel.  And she hits the jackpot again!  (This time she only wins a couple dollars because they are nickels, after all) but she calls out, “Jay, come get the kids!” as she collects her winnings a second time. (She won enough money to buy drinks for everyone at the gas station.)

By now the lesson was firmly cemented in Joel’s mind, “Always go gambling with mom!”

It took my mom a third attempt to finally find a slot machine where she actually lost her money.  (And by then the kids were far down the hallway straining their eyes to see as security had re-emphasized that those who are underage couldn’t be anywhere near the gambling area.)  But it was too late.  The lesson had already backfired.  

When my family gets together, we love to reminisce about moments like this and just laugh and laugh and laugh.  But if it is to be preserved for future generations, it must be written down and shared.   That’s why I’ve uploaded it to family search.

Today we are going to practice attaching memories to our family tree.  

We are not always sitting at a computer, but we usually have our cell phone with us, so today I’m going to show you how to get the Memories app on your phone and how to use it.

1. go to the apps store
2. type in “lds memories”
3. “get” the FamilySearch-Memories app (green square with white tree) for free

write a story in memories

you can add a photo to your story (selected from gallery, your camera roll or take one now)

give your story a title

start typing

upload an audio recording

choose a topic - suggestions are given.  Just answer the question

or begin recording anything now (keep it under 5 minutes, 15 max)

You can record, and pause the recording.  It will keep track of how much time you’ve used.

give it a title.

save.

You will now find it under memories in the gallery.

You can attach it to a person’s record.