Wise words spoken by a mother with children at home.
When we think of family history, do we think of just one more thing we should be doing and checking off our list?
Do we feel guilty for not going to the genealogy library and sifting through reels of microfilm?
May I take a moment to remind you that there are many ways of doing temple and family history work ... some of which you are doing right now.
You are living, learning, and growing. Remember the Lord didn't give you these life experiences to keep to yourself. Write them down and share what you've learned with others.
Paul is coming home from his mission on Tuesday. In what is most likely the last letter David could send to him in the mission field, David wrote:
I can relate to the mixed feelings that you are probably feeling right now. I remember sitting in the airplane on the runway in Venezuela on my way home from my mission. My heart ached that I was leaving so many people whom I had come to love, knowing that I would probably not see them again. My heart was swollen with great anticipation and love for my family, too, that I knew would be waiting for me when I arrived home in El Paso, Texas. It was a moment I will never forget.
The night before I left Venezuela, I remember kneeling in personal prayer and asking God if my mission was acceptable to Him. I remember feeling a surge of the Spirit come over my entire being that confirmed to me that God had accepted my missionary efforts. I hope you will have a similar experience.
These are comforting words of reassurance. They are also a part of David's personal life history. All it took was a copy and paste to preserve this memory in David's family tree.
It is interesting what will jog our memories - a photo we've taken or a similar experience. Sometimes it just takes asking the right question.
I told you about the Pando game we played at our recent Cardon family reunion. Everyone was trying to guess what instrument their grandma Jackie had played in school: piano, violin, cello, flute, recorder. No. She gave them a hint: it starts with the letter "T": trumpet, timpani, triangle, trombone, tambourine ... no one could guess that their little old grandma had played the tuba!
You can learn more about your family, both living and dead, by asking questions. It doesn't need to be a formal setting. It can be around the dinner table.
Family search has compiled a list of 52 questions for you to answer about your family, (I've posted them on this blog site.) Just one question a week will lead to amazing discoveries. For example:
- Are there any occupations that have run in your family for generations? (accountant, dentist, teacher...)
- Did your family celebrate any obscure holidays or cultural traditions? (we put more time and effort into celebrating Harry Potter's birthday than that of our own children!)
- What were the differences between your dad’s side of the family and your mom’s side that had to be reconciled within your nuclear family? (David was raised in Texas and Linnea in Idaho. The first couple years of married life were a battle with the thermostat!)
- What are some crises, natural disasters, or other tragedies that you had to pull together to get through? (that might include being unemployed for 3 years or a car accident.)
Get the living involved in searching for the dead. Not all of us are a Dennis Preece! Claire loves to do baptisms for the dead. We supply her with names. My mom works in initiatory - we pass the names on to her.
Expand your circle to include extended family members. Do you have a cousin or a great-aunt who has collected lots of old photos. Ask if you can make copies. Get the stories that go with the pictures. The faintest pencil is better than the longest memory!
What are some things you have done to involve your family in appreciating and preserving their heritage? This is family history in the making.
In the words of a Primary song (p 94):
Family history - I am doing it, My family history.
And the love I feel when I'm doing it Is very sweet to me.
I learn stories of my progenitors; I write their history.
I keep records of my loved ones On my own family tree.
Family living now and the ones who've died Can all be sealed to me,
And someday I'll meet every one of them, I'm sure as I can be.
Oh what joy we'll have when they say to me, "We're all a family.
I am yours and you are mine now, Through all eternity."
There is no one right way to do family history. There are many opportunities. Go with whatever appeals to you now. It will change with time. But whatever you choose to do will enrich your life. That is one of the promised blessings.
Let me know how I can help.
