President Kimball talked a lot about keeping a journal. I don't remember this personally, but I remember it second-hand because my mom really took that counsel to heart and taught it to her children. Every Sunday night she used to sit down with me and I would dictate to her about the events of the week. (I remember this, though I must have been very young, since it was before I could write.) I would save play tickets and napkins from wedding receptions and glue them into my journal too.
I kept up on my journal pretty faithfully until I was a teenager, and even then I had spurts of writing and catching up. But as soon as I got old enough to look back with embarrassment on my past self, I lost some enthusiasm for journal-writing. I thought a lot about the purpose of it. Why would I care later to read about these boring mundane events? And as for my posterity—writing for an imaginary audience of my posterity made my writing either impossibly stilted or drearily self-conscious. (I've talked about this before.) So it's been a struggle for me over the years, especially through some hard times I really didn't WANT to remember or record. Still, I've tried to find other ways to follow the prophets' (I know many besides President Kimball have spoken of it) counsel—things like this blog, family scrapbooks, letters to family members. And so I don't imagine anyone will find my life ill-documented…
But as I've gotten older, my heart has turned toward my ancestors more and more. I'm so interested in them: who they were and what they have to do with me. And I feel, sometimes, the lack of not knowing more. I have a friend who is very connected to her family history. She knows many stories of her ancestors. Certainly my mom tried to teach us about our ancestors too, and I do know some of those stories. But I don't feel I know THEM, the PEOPLE, the way my friend knows hers. We've been talking this week about how you can request the patriarchal blessings of your ancestors online now, and I've requested my dad's and my grandpa's, just to see what I can learn. But I'm not sure how else to come to know them. The small things I do know are often more puzzling than enlightening. Or I'm filling in so many blanks, I'm afraid I've got the big picture totally wrong. I don't know how to understand my ancestors in the context of the world they lived in—a world I know so little of.
None of that is really answered in this quote by President Kimball, but it struck me as a blessing I would like for myself:
On a number of occasions I have encouraged the Saints to keep personal journals and family records. I renew that admonition. We may think there is little of interest or importance in what we personally say or do—but it is remarkable how many of our families, as we pass on down the line, are interested in all that we do and all that we say. Each of us is important to those who are near and dear to us—and as our posterity read of our life’s experiences, they, too, will come to know and love us. And in that glorious day when our families are together in the eternities, we will already be acquainted.As I read this, I thought of what Elder Renlund said last week in Conference: that "when God directs us to do one thing, He often has many purposes in mind." And I'm not sure how this will be fulfilled. It seems like somehow doing family history and temple work (even if we don't find personal histories to read?) will advance that day when we and our ancestors will "come to know and love" each other. And maybe there are other commandments with that "many purpose" effect as well. Keeping a journal (however we manage that) might be one of them. I'm not sure how that will lead to more closeness with my family members who have already died. And I really can't envision my "posterity" wanting to know about ME at any point (though I'm willing to trust President Kimball that they will care). But somehow, it comforts me to know that God does want this for us. He has put us in families for a reason. And somehow, through His power, we are promised that we will get "acquainted" as generations of families on both sides of the veil—and even be able to love each other. It sounds nice.
Other posts in this series:
- O America, America by G
- The Pattern for Maintaining Spirituality by Jan Tolman
Oh my goodness! Yesterday I almost texted you that EXACT Renlund quote about five times to tell you how much I loved the concept. But it was just such a little quote and I just didn’t. And all the while it was on your mind already (so no great loss that I didn’t — haha!).
ReplyDeleteI’m sad that my journaling in high school was so much only rambling about this and that crush. Good grief. Someone should have tutored me in journaling! What a waste! :)
But yes! There are several ancestors who I have, for whatever reason, felt a strong connection with — my dad’s grandpa who died after hitting his thumb with a hammer and getting sepsis! And one named Thankful Frisbie (that name! and speaking of journals, I loved this distant ancestor’s name SO much that I actually wrote MY early journal entries as a letter to her! “Dear Thankful,” . . . I hope she liked reading about pre-teen crushes . . . haha! She will be like “You! You’re the one that wrote so many dumb things about if this or that boy likes you!”. Also do you remember my Almira “Elvira”? Haha. But, my point is, I just so much would love even a few pages of things they wrote about their experiences or life. And . . . almost nothing. Weep.
And I’m sure none of them imagined anyone interested in their life in the future. And yet. Here we are! And you know I have my own little theory — partly based on experience with said grandpa — that learning a little about them somehow thins the veil and makes us more able to recognize their help or presence in our lives. So who knows, speaking of that Renlund quote, maybe by recording our lives, we will make some of our great grandchildren open to us guiding them as guardian helping angels someday!
In any case, I have no doubt you will have grandchildren and great grandchildren and so on who will be reading these very posts of yours and feeling their wisdom expand and feeling such a kindred connection with their ancestor! It will be such a happy thing for them!
Oh, I remember Thankful Frisbie! I love her! And someday when we're in the same room we have to do that "Find my relatives" thing on Family Search so we can see if we're related somehow. I'm sure we must be, far enough back! And then I can claim Thankful too! :)
DeleteI love the idea that learning about them thins the veil. What great incentive to learn more! I need all the guardian angels I can get!
You wonder if your posterity will be interested?!?!?! My children beg for me to pull up old blog posts (I have a private blog where I record all kinds of stories) and read to them what I wrote about them. Try it with your own. They'll love every word you've written and beg for more! Trust me, your posterity is already interested in what you have to say about your life and theirs. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's true, it's easier to imagine my own kids wanting to know these things, especially the memories that include them. They love looking at photo books now. The more distant posterity…I just have a hard time imagining in general right now, I guess. But, that's good advice!
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