No TV Zone, Day Five

We are adjusting, but I allowed the kids to watch a movie (a DVD, not cable TV) when I had to be gone all morning yesterday. They are now watching another movie, as I am getting ready for work. We have four TVs. I’m seriously considering getting rid of half of them. I admit I miss my TV keeping me company. It is a good thing that I unplugged it, because there have been a few times when I’ve sat down and started looking for the remote before remembering: It is No TV week!
What did you ask? Where did I go yesterday? My son had a test he needed to take for his online school. I drove him to Salt Lake City, found the address (only had to turn around once) and dropped him off. I spent a little time at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building working on family history. I connected a few people in my family history file and requested that my new ID that came with the new.familysearch.org be merged with my old ID from the old website. This will allow me to work with the file easier. I’m excited that they have already approved the request. I’m taking little steps toward working on my family history!

Family History Miracle

Tonight, our church announced a new local program focusing on family history, Strengthening Your Link. This will be a long term program, unlike the Elijah project we did a few years ago, which was fast and furious work. The Elijah project was my first dive into family history. When my dad passed away in 2002, he left me all his genealogy work he had done. I dug this out when we did the Elijah project and over the past four years, have added names to my file during two family reunions, when I went to my grandfather’s funeral and during a research trip back east. I gradually stopped working on research and let the file sit. Then my computer’s mother board burned up last fall. I was able to take the hard drive out and transfer the info to my new laptop, but seemed unable to find many files, including my PAF file. PAF stand for Personal Ancestral File. I tried not to panic about it, choosing instead to believe it was around somewhere. I should have it on a jump drive, too, but I could not seem to find that, either. Two weeks ago I felt strongly that I needed to stop wasting time on stupid things (like games on facebook) and use that time more wisely (like on family history). I deleted my games and prayed that I would be able to find the files. I couldn’t bring myself to start over—there was too much information that could not be gathered again easily.
As I sat listening to the wonderful talks on family history, I knew I needed to pick this hobby back up and make it a part of my daily life again… if only I could find my PAF file. I again prayed I’d be able to find the file.
I came home, read a book to my kids and tucked them in bed. Then I pulled out my laptop to try one more time to find the PAF file. I opened the program and directed it to search out any files, like I had done many times before, only this time I chose a directory where I recently found other files I needed. It soon popped up. I had found the one I needed! I know it was an answer to a prayer, because of a desire to reach back to find my ancestors and make a connection. There are 1,280 names of my family in that file. I’m doing the happy dance and saying a prayer of gratitude. Thank you!

Celebration of Family History

I was given tickets to A Celebration of Family History at the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City. It was beautifully done. A ball of purple yarn served as a metaphor for the family ties that bind us together. I came away from the meeting wanting to further my own family history. The spirit was strong, touching our hearts. It was a call to remember those have gone before… David McCullough refuted the saying, “Gone but not forgotten.” He said the truth is that “If not forgotten, they are not gone. We remember them. We honor them. We must not ever lose sight of them.”
McCullough reminded us to “Read the classics. They stand the test of time. Each book is a journey, a hunt, an adventure.” He stated we are doing an inadequate job of teaching, educating our children. He asked, “How can we claim to love our county and not know its history?” He stated education belongs at home. “Teach History: The history of family, of county, of the world and of music. History is about life and time. History isn’t boring. Take kids to historic sites. Let them see you get excited about history. Share what you love. Attitudes aren’t taught—they are caught.”
He also urged us to keep a personal journal. He is the loss of journal writing is “a shame. It is a loss of working out our thoughts on paper. As we sit down to write, we get a thought, an idea, we would not have gotten otherwise.” He discussed the journal of John Adams—and other great men of history.
I send my gratitude to all who sang, who put together the beautiful videos and who spoke or helped in every way for a memorable evening. Thank you.