Our Daily Experiences

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We have been taught that this life is a journey, a test, and the way for us to use our God-given strengths and talents to become more like our Savior.  We are here on earth to learn, to experience adversity and up-lifting times, and to grow towards our eternal potential.  As we do this, we are writing the story of our mortal life.  Are we recording that story?

In a past post, we encouraged you to add stories to your FamilySearch pages.  One of the pages you add to should be your own.  When thinking of what to write, most people think of special news-worthy events, spiritual experiences and funny anecdotes.  We tend to forget the daily activities and struggles.  However, our posterity will be just as interested in those stories as they are in the “note-worthy” ones.

Our ancestors may have lived through the pandemic of 1918 or experienced one of more of the World Wars.  Do we have their stories?  Do we know how they felt, what they experienced, how they got through on a daily basis? When we read those stories we are drawn closer to them and can experience what they experienced in a small way.

Today is no different. We are living in unprecedented times.  We are experiencing severe draught, wild fires that fill our skies with smoke, and the COVID 19 Pandemic.  Our posterity will be just as interested in how we coped with these events as we are in knowing how our ancestors managed during their times of trial. 

As we record the events of our life, imagine our posterity living in 2121.  What would they like to know about how you managed during the draught?  Did you have to reduce your water usage and, if so, how did you do it?  Did you have to use the water storage you built up as you followed the counsel of the Church leaders?  And how did you manage during the smoky days of wild fires?  Did they affect your breathing, your daily activities, your plans for the long summer days?  What about the pandemic?  Did you wear a mask all the time?  If so, did you use the paper disposable ones or have fun fabric ones that you made and washed after each use?  (Just a fun side note – my son, who does not drink coffee, installed a mug rack on his wall and instead of hanging coffee mugs on it, his family hangs their freshly washed masks so they are close at hand when needed.)  What symptoms did you experience if you contracted COVID?  How did you quarantine? What blessings have you and your family experienced while you have grown through your challenges?  Our posterity will be interested in knowing all of this!

The challenges of our ancestors were different than the challenges of our day. And the challenges of our posterity will be different still.  All stories, no matter how common-place they may seem at the time, will be wonderful to read by those who come after us.  Please remember to include your stories on your FamilySearch page. 

Even though Brother May is experiencing COVID at this time, we are still available by phone. Let us know if we can help you!  Have a wonderful week and a peaceful Sunday!  Brother and Sister May

 

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