The Lord Has Not Forgotten You

This was a talk given by my former mission president's wife, Linda Reeves, during General Relief Society Meeting on September 29, 2012. She is a member of the General Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I thought it was an amazing talk about how much the Lord loves each of us. I hope you enjoy reading it!

Our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ, know us and love us. … We can feel of Their love and compassion in our suffering.

As we meet sisters around the world, we are amazed at the strength of your testimonies. So many of you are first- or second-generation members of the Church. We see many sisters serving in multiple callings, traveling long distances to attend church, and sacrificing to make and keep sacred temple covenants. We honor you. You are the Lord’s modern-day pioneers!

Recently my husband, Mel, and I met a volunteer tour guide named Mollie Lenthal as we visited a museum in Australia. We found out that Mollie, a lovely woman in her 70s, has no children and has never married. She is an only child, and her parents have been deceased for many years. Her closest relatives are two cousins who live on another continent. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with the Spirit testifying to me, almost as if Heavenly Father were speaking: “Mollie is not alone! Mollie is my daughter! I am her Father! She is a very important daughter in my family, and she is never alone!”

One of my favorite stories from the Savior’s life is the story of Lazarus. The scriptures tell us that “Jesus loved Martha, … her sister [Mary], and [their brother] Lazarus.”1 Word was sent to Jesus that Lazarus was very ill, but Jesus did not come immediately; He stayed away two more days, stating that “this sickness is … for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”2

Hearing that Jesus was coming, Martha “went and met him,”3 telling Him what had happened. Lazarus had “lain in the grave four days already.”4Grieving, Martha ran back to her home to tell Mary that the Lord had come.5 Mary, weighed down with sorrow, ran to Jesus, fell down at His feet, and wept.6

We are told that “when Jesus therefore saw [Mary] weeping, … he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,” and asked where they had laid him.

“They said unto him, Lord, come and see.”7

Then we read some of the most compassionate, loving words in scripture: “Jesus wept.”8

Apostle James E. Talmage wrote, “The sight of the two women so overcome by grief … caused Jesus to sorrow [with them] so that He groaned in spirit and was deeply troubled.”9 This experience testifies of the compassion, empathy, and love that our Savior and our Heavenly Father feel for each of us every time we are weighed down by the anguish, sin, adversity, and pains of life.


Dear sisters, our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ, know us and love us. They know when we are in pain or suffering in any way. They do not say, “It’s OK that you’re in pain right now because soon everything is going to be all right. You will be healed, or your husband will find a job, or your wandering child will come back.” They feel the depth of our suffering, and we can feel of Their love and compassion in our suffering.

Alma testified:

“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

“And he will take upon him … their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, … that he may know … how to succor his people according to their infirmities.”10

When we wonder if we are known by our Savior and our Father in Heaven or how well They know us personally, we might remember the Savior’s words to Oliver Cowdery:

“If you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things.”11

Earlier the Savior stated to him, “There is none else save God that knowest thy thoughts and the intents of thy heart.”12

The Savior reminded Oliver that He knew every detail of that pleading prayer—and remembered the exact time, the very night.

Many years ago my husband became very ill with a rare disease. As the weeks went by and the sicker he became, the more I became convinced that he was dying. I told no one of my fears. We had a large, young family and a loving, eternal marriage, and the thought of losing my husband and raising my children by myself filled me with loneliness, despair, and even anger. I am ashamed to say that I pulled away from my Heavenly Father. For days I quit praying; I quit planning; I cried. I finally came to the realization that I could not do this alone.

For the first time in many days, I knelt down and poured out my heart to my Father in Heaven, pleading for forgiveness for turning away from Him, telling Him all of my deepest feelings, and finally crying out that if this was what He really wanted me to do, I would do it. I knew He must have a plan for our lives.

As I continued on my knees to pour out my heart, the sweetest, most peaceful, loving feeling came over me. It was as if a blanket of love was flowing over me. It was as if I could feel Heavenly Father saying, “That was all I needed to know.” I determined never to turn away from Him again. Gradually and amazingly, my husband began to get better until he made a full recovery.

Years later my husband and I knelt by the side of our 17-year-old daughter and pleaded for her life. This time the answer was no, but that same feeling of love and peace that our Savior has promised was just as powerful, and we knew that even though Heavenly Father was calling her back home, everything would be all right. We have come to know what it means to cast our burdens upon the Lord, to know that He loves us and feels compassion for us in our sorrows and pain.

One of the sweetest father-to-son moments in the Book of Mormon is Alma the Younger’s testimony to his son Helaman. Alma described the “inexpressible horror” he felt as he imagined coming into the presence of God to be judged of his many transgressions. After feeling the weight of all his sins for three days and nights, he repented and pleaded with the Savior to have mercy on him. He described to Helaman the “exquisite and sweet” joy of remembering his pains “no more.” Instead of feeling “inexpressible horror” at the thought of coming before the throne of God, Alma saw a vision of “God sitting upon his throne” and declared, “My soul did long to be there.”13

Is that not how we feel, my dear sisters, as we repent and contemplate the love, the mercy, and the gratitude we feel for our Heavenly Father and our Savior—that we too “long to be there,” to be embraced by Their loving arms once again?

Just as the Lord has testified to me that He has not forgotten His precious daughter Mollie Lenthal, I testify that He has not forgotten you! Whatever sin or weakness or pain or struggle or trial you are going through, He knows and understands those very moments. He loves you! And He will carry you through those moments, just as He did Mary and Martha. He has paid the price that He might know how to succor you. Cast your burdens upon Him. Tell your Heavenly Father how you feel. Tell Him about your pain and afflictions and then give them to Him. Search the scripturesdaily. There you will also find great solace and help.

Our Savior asked:

“For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. …

“… I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.”14

“I have commanded that none of you should go away, but rather have commanded that ye should come unto me, that ye might feel and see; even so shall ye do unto the world.”15

That is our charge. We must feel and see for ourselves and then help all of Heavenly Father’s children to feel and see and know that our Savior has taken upon Himself not only all our sins but also our pains and our suffering and afflictions so that He can know what we feel and how to comfort us. I testify of Him in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

books

With less than a week left in the year I thought it would be cool to show how many books I have started and finished reading this year.  It's a long list.  This year I have learned a lot from history, literature, and many other great sources.  If any of my readers are bored this next year, please feel free to read any books on this list.  I highly recommend any and all of them!


Books for 2012:
The Biggest Brother by Larry Alexander
Faith of Our Fathers: A House Divided by Nancy Allen
Faith of Our Fathers: To Make Men Free by Nancy Campbell Allen 
Faith of Our Fathers: Through the Perilous Fight by Nancy Campbell Allen
Faith of Our Fathers: One Nation Under God by Nancy Campbell Allen
Pegasus Bridge by Stephan Ambrose
Hanging by the Thread by Donald Anderson
Abraham Lincoln: God’s Humble Instrument by Ron L. Anderson
Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews
Leadership and Self Deception by Arbinger Institute
Archimedes
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
All the President’s Men by Bernstein
An Enemy Hath Done This by Ezra Taft Benson
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Deception Point by Dan Brown
Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
Dear and Glorious Physician by Taylor Caldwell
How to win friends and influence people by the Carnegie Institute 
Our Sacred Honor by Paul Carter
The Times That Try Men's Souls by Paul Carter
The Robe by Lloyd Douglas
As a Man Thinketh by John Dewey
Magnificent Obsession by Lloyd Douglas
The Three Muskateers by Alexandre Dumas
Cesaer and Christ by Will Durant
Mindset by Carol Dweck
First  Family by Joseph Ellis
Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis
Hank the Cow dog: Case of the Fiddling Fox by John Erickson
Hank the Cow dog: Case of the Bone Monster
The Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson
Civilization by Niall Ferguson
Papa Married a Mormon by John D. Fitzgerlard
J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets by Curt Gentry
10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America by Steven M. Gillon
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt
Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris
October Sky by Homer Hickham
The Coalwood Way by Homer Hickham
Sky of Stone by Homer Hickham
Back to the Moon by Homer Hickham
The Jack Rabbit Factor by Leslie Householder
The Great Conversation by Robert Hutchins
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Profiles in Courage for our time by Caroline Kennedy
The Ugly American by William J. Lederer
Bendigo Shafter by Louis L’Amour
The Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L’Amour
The Walking Drum by Louis L’Amour
Endurance: Shackelton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis 
Mathematicians Lament by Paul Lockhart
And There Was Light by Jacques Lusseyran
The Greatest Miracle in the World by Og Mandino
The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino
Are you Liberal, Conservative, or Confused? An Uncle Eric Book by Richard Maybury
Thousand Years War by Richard Maybury
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell\
Dream Team by Jack McCallum
1776 by David McCullough 
History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil McGregor
The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt saved Football by John J. Miller
Driven by Larry H. Miller
The Curse of the Viking Grave by Farley Mowat
With Malice towards None by Stephen Oates
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates us by Daniel PinkThe Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
Plato’s Apology
Plato’s Crito
12 Pillars of Success by Jim Rohn and Chris Widener
On the Wealth of Nations by P.J. O’Rourke
A Treasury of Philosophy by Dragobert Runes
The Price of Civilization by Jeffrey Sachs
German Boy by Wolfgang Samuel
Rise to Rebellion by Jeff Shaara
The Rising Tide by Jeff Shaara
The Steel Wave by Jeff Shaara
No Less Than Victory by Jeff Shaara*
The Final Storm by Jeff Shaara
Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
The Making of America by W. Cleon Skousan
The Naked Communist by W. Cleon Skousan
Decade of Hope by Dennis Smith
7 Tipping Points That Saved The World by Chris Stewart
The Fourth Turning by William Strauss
Difficult Conversations by Stone, Patton and Heen
The Great Apostasy by James E. Talmage
Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmadge
The Last Patriot by Brad Thor
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
It's Just My Nature! by Carol Tuttle
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc by Mark Twain
The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkenson
All the President’s Men by Bob Woodward
The Brethren by Bob Woodward
The Secret Man by Bob Woodward
Shadow: 5 Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate by Bob Woodward 
Pillar of Fire by David G. Woolley
Power of Deliverance by David G. Woolley
Place of Refuge by David G. Woolley
Day of Remembrance by David G. Woolley
Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss

classics

I read this today in the intro to The Three Musketeers.  I loved it!


Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could know whether a book or movie, tape or CD was worthwhile just by looking at it?  Imagine what it would be like if every form of entertainment, every work of art, had a special label on it that said 'this is the good stuff' a label you could actually trust to tell you: 'This is really worth it.  This is the best there is.'
Imagine the hours of time you'd save.  You'd be browsing in a bookstore or record shop, looking at the weekend movie ads, considering a concert or play, and you'd see that label and relax, knowing your time wouldn't be wasted.
There actually is such a label - at least for books.  The label is classic.
It means 'of the highest quality,' or 'of enduring interest and value.' You've heard the word before, used for everything from soft drinks and sporting events to hairstyles and antique cars.  But it's also used to describe something that's one of the best examples of its kind, whether it's the dialogues of Plato, the music of Mozart, the architecture of the Renaissance, or a cherry-red 1957 Thunderbird convertible.
When book publishers use the word classic to describe a book, they really mean it.  There's a kind of honor system operating.  They've set aside that word solely for books that have passed the test of time, that really are among the best works of their kind ever written.  The book you're holding in your hands is one of those books.
Unfortunately, a lot of people think 'classic' means something else.  They think it means 'old' or 'boring.'  As a result, they miss out on some of the most interesting, engaging stories ever told.
It's not too difficult to figure how this idea got around.  First, it's a fact that a lot of 'classics' are 'old' in a purely chronological sense.  They were written fifty or a hundred and fifty years ago, and some people think a story has to be brand-new to be interesting.
Second, some of the people recommending that you read 'classics' are the same people who recommend that you brush your teeth, or wear a motorcycle helmet, or save your money for the future -  things that are good for you, but not all that much fun.  So it's not surprising that people, especially young people, are suspicious when someone tells them that a book that's required reading in school is actually enjoyable.
But it happens to be true.
To explain why it's true, it might be helpful to explain how a book becomes a 'classic' in the first place.  There's a very simple answer.  People keep reading it.  People just like you.  It's like a popularity contest, or a public opinion poll, except that it goes on year after year, generation after generation.  A book that people are still reading a hundred and fifty years after it was first published has to have something going for it to keep people interested.
Another reason books become classics is that they are genuinely entertaining.  People who take time to read the classics are usually pleasantly surprised to discover just how interesting they really.....
Imagine what it would be like to be a child, abandoned in the jungles of India, facing certain death from the deadly predators that prowl its paths.  Suddenly, when you're certain you can't survive another day, you are rescued by a she-wolf who brings you home to her pack, raises you a one of her own, and teaches you the languages of the forest animals.  That's just one of the stories of Rudyard Kipling tells in his Jungle book.
What if you were a brilliant scientist who had discovered a secret serum that unlocked the wildest passions of the human soul? Would you take the risk of testing it on yourself, knowing that it might transform you into a hideous, violent monster?  That's one of the questions Robert Louis Stevenson answers in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
What would you do if a lucky punch from a local bully knocked you all the way back to the time of Merlin the Magician? Would you dare to challenge the awesome power of his dark sorcery with stage magic and modern-day science? That's what happens to the hero of Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.
How would you survive if you found yourself trapped in a deadly, prehistoric world in a hidden cavern at the Earth's core, menaced by deadly creatures and warlike giants?  That's the problem a band of explorers faces in Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth.
These stories don't sound boring, do they?
One proof that classics contain really exciting stories is that contemporary writers 'borrow' ideas from classic works all the time when they are creating new ones.  When you see a killer-dinosaur book like Jurassic Park, you can bet that the author, Michael Crichton, read, and loved Sire Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World when he was a boy.The 'Back to the Future; movies might never have been made if filmmaker Bob Zemekis hadn't enjoyed H. G. Wells' The Time Machine.  Danielle Steel probably wouldn't be writing the kind of romances that can hug at your heartstrings if she hadn't read, and cried over, books like Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights when she was younger.  And you can be sure that Stephan King learned much of what he knows about terrifying people from the stories of Edgar Allen Poe which scared him when he  was a boy.
Another mark of a classic, then, is that it can inspire an entire branch of literature, like Westerns of romances.  The mystery novel as we know it wouldn't exist if Sir Arthur Conan Doyle hadn't created his master detective Sherlock Holmes.  All of those books in the science fiction section might not be there today if it weren't for the works of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells.
If the classics only offered engrossing entertainment, they'd be well worth your time.  But they have a lot more to offer.
To begin with, classics are better written  than most other books.  This may seem obvious, but it's worth mentioning.  One of the qualities that causes a book to endure decade after decade is that the author put extra care into choosing each word, into creating real, believable characters, into giving them genuine human emotions and challenging problems to solve.
You can sense this special attention to the language the minute you begin reading a classic like Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer or Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables.  The worlds you're reading about is suddenly vivid and compelling and real, as real as the world you live in every day - and sometimes more so.
It's the difference between a musician who goes through the emotions and one who really knows his stuff, the difference between fast food and cuisine.  If you're a serious reader, you can very quickly grow tired of sloppy writing, predictable plots, and cheap literary storytelling.  The classics guarantee great prose as well as great storytelling.
If you've ever thought of becoming a writer yourself, as a hobby or as a profession, you can't find a better place to study writing techniques than in the classics.  No writer has describe the bone-chilling cold of an Artic night more effectively than Jack London.  No one brings the perilous life of the sea or the exotic locales of the Far East to life more vividly than Rudyard Kipling.
You can think of the classics as time machines that instantly transport you to faraway times and places at the turn of a page.  You can travel with Robert Louis Stevenson about the pirate ships of the Caribbean in Kidnapped.  Race around the world with a daring gambler in Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days.  Witness London devastated by a ruthless Martian invasion in H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds.
There's one other reason that the classics have endured as long as they have.  In fact, it's the most important reason of all.
Books become classics, and stay classic, because they tell us something about ourselves.  The authors whose works are represented in this series understand the human heart better than most of the writers working today.  They might not have experienced the events they're writing about first hand, but they have the ability to put themselves in someone else's place, and somehow convey what that sort of a person is feeling.
Stephan Crane was never a soldier himself.  But in The Red Badge of Courage, he used his knowledge of human emotions to convey what it was like to be a green recruit facing enemy guns in a bloody war, praying he'd be strong enough not to turn and run when the battle began, not to disgrace himself in the eyes of his peers.
Although Mary Mapes Dodge was never a world-famous ice skater, she was able to express in Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates how it felt to be a gifted athlete for whom sport mattered more than anything in the world.  She understood what it was like to be facing cutthroat competition, to force yourself to go on when your body was crying out for rest.
In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain used his writer's gift to make the reader feel what it was like to have a cruel and hurtful father, as Huck did, and to want to escape from a harsh existence.  And he was able to convey what it was like for Huck's friend Jim, a runaway slave, to be hated and punished just because he was different from other people.
In Little Women, Louisa May Alcott was able to express what it was like to be a young woman in the last century, fighting for a place in a world dominated by men.  She understood what it was like to have a dream so strong you would risk anything to try to make it come true, as Jo Marsh did when she decided to become a journalist.
Then the world grows too difficult to bear, it's sometimes helpful to get a bit of perspective, to see how people dealt with life's problems, and its opportunities, in other times and places.  The classics offer fresh viewpoints on the human condition, showing how other people dealt with heartbreak and shame, greed and ambition, anger and terror.  While you're wrapped up in the dreams and fears of a pauper on the streets of sixteenth century London, or an awkward schoolteacher in eighteenth century New York State, you may find a solution to your own worries and problems.  Or, if not, you may at least find an escape from them that gives you time to take a breather and gather the strength to go on.
So next time you see a book labeled a 'classic' whether it comes from this publisher or another one, you might benefit from taking a second look at it before passing on to the latest packaged series or television spin off.  The world you'll find inside the pages of that book is likely to be richer, deeper, and more moving than anything else in the bookstore.
The important thing to remember is that it's your choice, not anyone else's.  By choosing this book, you've become part of the process that makes books classics.  If this story works for you, as it has for previous generations of readers, if you enjoy it and recommend it to your friends - maybe even your kids someday - you'll be part of the chain that caused it to be here for you.
And if it turns out that it's not to your liking, you may recommend some newer book that does work for you, a work that stays in print and goes on to become one of the classics of the next century.  It's up to you to decide.

California Trip

So this past weekend I took a trip to California.  It was a blast.  I originally went on my mission to Riverside, CA.  After about a year of being home I wanted to go back.  Because I served a rather short mission, I only wanted to visit one area: Palm Desert.  I also wanted to see San Diego and other sights that I didn't get to as a missionary.

So first I had to find someone to go with and share the expense of gas with.  I was fortunate enough to serve around a missionary named Elder Howell for 6 months, or 4 transfers in the desert.  He was my favorite missionary, and I wish I could have been comps with him, but he was a Spanish missionary.  I did get to for a weekend when I had no companion.  That weekend was awesome.  His first name is Ryan, but it's kind of awkward for me to call him that.  He calls me Summit, and I call him comp, or Howell.

Anyways, we had originally planned on going with my brother, who wasn't able to.  So it was just the two of us.  About a month before I almost decided not to go as my best friend's missionary farewell was that Sunday that I was going to be gone.  I wanted to be there to support him, but something told me to go.  I believe it was the Spirit.

On our way down to California we ran into a huge storm.  It was snowing from Provo to St. George and raining after Vegas for the rest of the trip.  It was hard to stay awake, as I had had 3 hours of sleep prior to leaving.  But we made it safely.

We stayed with a member named Rey, who lives in Morino Valley.  Rey is awesome.  I wish I had known him as a missionary.  He drove us to San Diego, which was awesome.  We attended a temple session and took a bunch of pictures.  That temple is the temple I want to get married in, I've decided.  Now to find the girl to take there!

After the temple we went to Carlsbad to see the Pacific Ocean.  It was the first time I had ever seen an ocean.  I went to Washington D.C. as a teenager, but never saw the actual ocean.  I saw the Potomac River.
I took quite a few pictures, including a video of me sticking my hand in the serf.  Now I can die happy.. :)

After the beach I went out the desert.  Howell stayed in MoVal to visit some people there.  I went and visited the Smiths that night. They were one of my favorite families there.  They fed us dinner most Saturday nights.  Another Elder was visiting them with his parents: Elder Daniel.  He had come out to the desert to replace me.  So we talked for a while about the area after I had left.  He told me of some people we had taught, and other things about the area.  It was awesome visiting with him.

That night I stayed in a hotel, which was nice.  Their breakfast doesn't compare to the one of the hotel I work at.  We have a much better one.  I went to church at the Park View Ward, which was my favorite ward of all time.  There were so many people I knew and got to say hi to.  As more people arrived many recognized me and shook my hand.  The bishop came over and asked how so many people knew me.  I told him I had served in that area.

I must confess that I am not that great of a returned missionary.  I went to In-n-Out on Sunday.  It was the only time I had time too.  I love that place.  It is sooo good.  But after church I went to see the Willinsky's.  Rick and Maggie are some of my favorite people in the world.  Rick isn't a member, (yet) but he is so cool  We visited for a while then I went to the Lewis's.  I showed them pictures of when I was there.  I miss them. I loved living behind them.

After the Lewis's I went to dinner at the Jackson's.  She also invited the sister missionaries over.  It was fun to visit with them and Sister Jackson.  She was like a second mom to me when I was a new missionary.  We would eat at their house most Mondays.

After visiting with Sister Jackson I finally got ahold of Jessica Mercado, who was my first convert.  I didn't have her number to call before hand, so I had to ask around to get it.  But I finally did, and she took me to a mexican restraunt because she said she didn't have food at her house.  I didn't know this but she and her husband Ron have a 1 year old baby.  I am soooo glad I got to see Jessica.  That made my whole trip worth it.

So Monday we drive back to Indio, over an hour out of our way home, to see a convert of Elder Howell.  They feed us breakfast, which makes it worth it.  We drive 11 hours to reach Provo around 8.  After parting with Howell I go out to Erda, to stay the night at my friend Brian's house.

All in all, it was a crazy weekend.  I maybe slept 20 hours in 96 and drove 1,500 miles during that time.
I visited the ocean and was within 30 miles of Idaho.  But it was worth it!

family history

Lately while working at the hotel I've been doing some family history research.  I got the idea a while ago while trying to think of something I could do that would be worth while while sitting for 8 hours a night.  I don't want to waste my time and need something to occupy a lot of time.  So my mom suggested doing family history.

Since my mom's parents both have most of their ancestors traced back to the early 1800's and 1700's, I don't know that I could do much on that side.  My dad has ton's of work to do for his side though.  He assigned me to work on his Scott side of the family.  This is where my name comes from.  His grandma Bertha, so my great grandmother, was a Scott.  He has a ton of information on them, but needs it entered into family search and paf.

While doing this I've found some records, photos and other documents about my great-grandmothers family.  It's pretty neat to learn where they came from.  I find it interesting to learn the ancestors names, and I can tell you where most were born on this line of the family.  I spent probably 10 hours researching birth, marriage and death dates.  Imagine my disappointment when I found out we already had all of the information I've spent a bit of time finding again!

So now I am going through the folder containing all of the information we have on that line of the family.  We have a newspaper click from a long time ago, I can't find a date on it, that tells about my great-grandma's grandfather and how we came to live in Missouri.  That's pretty cool that we still have something that is probably close to 100 years old.

I want to mention something that many find weird about me.  I love to collect things.  Most kids collect rocks, stamps, coins, or other things.  But most will out grow them by their late teen years.  I collected old birthday cards, thank you notes, and other memento's.  I kept a scrapbook on my mission.  I took all of the digital pictures my parents have of me and now I have them.  I don't know why, but I want my kids and grand kids to always remember me in 100 years.

I think this is something that most people want: to make a lasting impression on this earth.  They want to have their kids remember them.  Because this life seems to go by with astonishing velocity as you get older.  We realize that we will get replaced by someone else.  Many dictator's wanted to make their names known for centuries after they died.  They believed that to be remembered was glory.

To a certain extent, that is true. We remember the Babylonians, the Persians  the Greeks, the Romans.  They conquered huge chucks of the earth.  They created amazing civilizations.  We in the present day study them, their ways of life, their system's of government.  We remember Cesaer, Jesus, and other great leaders.

Why do we do this?  We have many great leaders among us today.  I doubt many ancient people know where Jesus really was.  He was a prophet among the Jews.  The Jewish population in the world at the time was relatively small.  So why is he so famous today?  I think it is because his followers told others, and those others told others, so on and so forth.  Over time the truly great leaders and people get remembered, while those who did less grand and great things are left, to be forgotten.

I am very grateful to a Heavenly Father who loves everyone.  He knows the lowest slave, and the great leaders of this world.  He knows us as no one else can know us.  I may not be a great leader, and probably won't make it into any history book that is taught from in schools, but I am just as important as the next guy.

This is the reason I want to do family history:  I want to remember my ancestors.  I want to try to find out about them, to remember them.  I don't think any made it into history books, but they were real people.  Because without them I would not be alive today.