Obituary indexing

The current obituary projects I've been working on have had small batches and small recored, usually only 2 individuals noted on the index. It's heart-touching when indexing to find young children, only a few months or few weeks old that have died. Also sad are the accidents and the suicides. One young woman, only 20 years old, died of a stabbing while in Paris. I'm sure there is quite a story there, but all the obit had was the very briefest of information.

Come join in the fun at: FamilySearch Indexing Even if you do not need the collections currently being indexed, someone will. Every record you find via an index is work done by another.

Pool time

Got a new swimming suit today - it's a modest one-piece and the bottom has shorts attached. It fits well and looks a whole lot better than most suits do on me. I went out and swam for the first time this year, mostly treading water, but getting my exercise today.  It's sort of a pain to get ready to use the pool then get dry enough before going indoors so as not to drip all over, but there are a lot of things one can do to exercise in a pool and work muscles without the stress that out of pool work can cause. I mostly tread water - good for arms and legs and core.

Family History for all

I spent some time today working on finding newspaper articles for one of my former co-workers who is doing a presentation for the American Library Association Convention in Las Vegas this month. Newspapers are quite interesting sources of information. I found an obituary and some legal notices for the estate of the deceased.

Edwin Theodore Pope I, 1835-1917

I've also started corresponding with a person who created a memorial on FindAGrave for the daughter of my 4th great grandfather. Her son-in-law is my 4th cousin. It's quite interesting to find these distant relations and share information. She had a history for one of my g-grandfathers that I had seen before, but one for my 4th-ggrandfather I had not seen. He was an early settler of Randolph, Utah - sent there by Brigham Young to establish a community there. Hard work and a harsh country.

Adam and Eve

Consider this verse in light of revealed understanding about God and our pre-earth life, and our life after death. Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

When Eve partook of the forbidden fruit and Adam chose to go with her into exile from the Garden of Eden, they both recognized that this was a necessary part of their path back to God. Adam also realized what he was doing by going with her. He was leaving his Father and Mother to cleave to his wife. Thereafter, they would not walk and talk with God face to face, but were shut out from His presence.

Return to blogging

It's been many years since I added anything to this blog. I make no promises that I will continue, but I'm interested in seeing if I will use this medium to record thoughts and impressions, tender mercies, life events and the like. It will be somewhat of a journal, but the most sacred of experiences will need to be recorded elsewhere. I do have on many days, enough thoughts and ideas that I would like to record that are not of a private nature to try my hand once more in the online world. It's unlikely that there will ever be a large following to what I write, but that isn't the intent anyway.

So Much I Should Be Doing

When I get home from work today I am going to write on my whiteboard this note to myself - Have you done your 15 minutes today? This is to remind me to spend 15 minutes a day decluttering, cleaning, tossing or whatever I want or whatever needs to be done. If I'd been doing this for the past 2 years, my house would be free of junk and easy to keep clean - right now I can't clean because of all the stuff and I just look and ignore, so it never improves.

If I really want a house that I can freely invite people to enter, or stay (and I say that I do) then I must get serious about making it that way. There isn't anyone but me to do it, and while I semi-whine that it's John's stuff that is the main culprit, that's just an excuse - there are a lot of things that are my responsibility, not his.

The note will also serve to encourage me to take another 15 minutes and exercise, probably mostly on the treadmill initially, but adding some variety later.

I use it as an excuse but it is going to take some determination to not just get home after 11 hours at work and collapse on the chair like I've trained myself to do. I certainly have enough energy remaining to spend 1/2 an hour being good to the house and myself. The house will be better and so will I.

Right With the Lord

It was the fifth Sunday today and our new Bishop, Bishop Wells gave the joint Priesthood/Relief Society lesson. He talked about the last days and all the anxieties that could and can affect us. What we all need to remember is the Lord is in control, and if we give ourselves over to God in terms of living the gospel and being obedient and perhaps most difficult, trusting God to do what He says He will do, then there won't be anything we can't handle.

I'm in two choirs right now - my own Tropicana Ward and also Hacienda Ward. The Hacienda ward choir will be performing for both wards on the 14th. I had made sure it was the 2nd Sunday before I went to rehearse with them so it wouldn't conflict with the 3rd Sunday where I teach in Relief Society. Sister Enrico asked me today if I could teach my lesson on the 2nd Sunday instead as they have a special lesson prepared. She was going to check with her board and see if they could switch the special lesson to the 14th since I'd already made the choir commitment. It would probably be ok if I didn't sing for the Hacienda program, but I don't like backing out if I can help it.

Tithing settlement was this evening as well. I got a chance to visit with the Bishop and declare that I was a full tithe payer. He asked about what blessings I'd seen from paying tithing and I couldn't point to any specific blessing and say that was from paying tithing - but I do know that a whole lot of blessings come from it. It might be a blessing of protection - the destroyer passed by and didn't come in. I'd never know that happened, but it would be a blessing. Moderating challenges, having sufficient for my needs, health, and so much more.

I am going to pay more attention to the blessings I receive and the impressions I sometimes get regarding the reasons they enter my life. The Lord is so good to me.