iN tHe EyE oF tHe BeHoLdEr

I suck at genealogy. I mean really, I suck at it. As part of my mission we were suppose to learn all these different ways of doing genealogy research in order to help people when we were assigned to Family Search. At one point in my mission we were even allotted one hour per week to work on our own family history. However, my companions and I rarely got to use them (and I was secretly glad) due to planned exchanges or meetings. On the rare occasion I did have time to go, I'd stare at the screen, type in a random relative name I knew to see where it got me, or look up towns they lived in on maps. I found one person who had been baptized upwards of four times and really... where do you go from there?

To say the least it wasn't a pleasant experience and since that time I've just ignored it. Yet I always encourage people to find names of their relatives, even if they have already "been found". I think there is a power, a stronger sense of self, that comes as you find the people that inherently make you, well...you. I also calm those pained expressions with what I've discovered for myself: There are many different ways of doing genealogy--it's all in the eye of the beholder. Of course nothing can substitute or be of a more lasting effect than the work done for our ancestors in holy temples, but there is so much more that can pave the way for turning hearts to family!

I, for one, compile and organize. In 2008 I took the dozens of poems my grandpa had written throughout his life, compiled them, edited them and even created a font from his personal writing. I was 99 percent done, but then in sat, waiting on my desktop for over a year. However, due to the inordinate amount of time I've had lying in bed recently, I finished!

I love knowing that now, due to amazing technology, those pages no longer belong to one person. Any of my aunts, uncles or cousins around the world can have them on their bookshelves. I know that whoever takes the time to read his small legacy will hear his voice, understand his thoughts and priorities, and see what mattered most to him in his life. And think, with that knowledge a personal relationship can begin that will last for eternities, which is half the point, right? I mean, what's the point of being with someone forever if you don't know a thing about them? That'd just be awkward....

I'm curious if any of you have done anything "out of the box" to make the lines flow a bit easier? Next on my list: Grandma's recipes....yum!