Season for Family

A community of women finding time for family connections.

Their Faith is our Inheritance

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Pioneer Day, 1 year ago, I found myself holding back the tears. Drained & with no option for employees in sight, I sat at work, wishing with all my heart that I could be with my family, just for that day. We had family visiting from out of town & I knew that I was confined to my store for another 11 hours. With no ability to hold back the tears, I hid in my back room, sobbing & praying that no one would come in, I didn’t want to be seen.

While praying & trying to control my emotions, the words entered my mind, “What brings you joy?” I was surprised… What does brings me joy? I thought of 2 things, Hand-lettering & Family History. It was a moment of clarity, I am my own boss, I don’t have to “work” today, I can take a break!

I decided to hop on to lds.org to find the perfect Pioneer Day quote to hand-letter. I found the quote above in a beautiful talk given by Gordon B. Hinkley, “The Faith to Move Mountains”. Then, I researched one of my Pioneer ancestors as a part of my #131names project (I’ll explain in stories today).

I want to share this story today, because it was a day that has CHANGED me. I was able to take a rotten day & completely turn it around… I went on to fall in love with an ancestor, I went on to ENJOY my day, I went on to feel strengthened & uplifted. But MORE than just that day, I learned a powerful lesson. I learned that family history is a tool for SELF-CARE!

It’s deeper & longer lasting than getting my nails done or indulging in a Netflix binge. I am learning that when I can set aside my worries for a moment & focus on my family history, I can feel renewed & re-energized! When I read my ancestors stories, I feel real strength & more often than not, the story turns out to be the story that I needed to read. When I spend time researching, I feel good, knowing that I am serving my loved ones! When I look at family photos with my children, I am reminded of all the blessings in my life. Family History is FILLED with love & goodness, it’s hard not to have a better day when you remember to step back & use it as a tool for self-care.

I truly believe that “their faith is our inheritance” IF we seek it.

CAROLYNN REYNOLDS

branchesart.com
IG: @branches.art

Legacy of Faith

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Woman Holding Book of Mormon and Basket of Flowers- Jubal Aviles Saenz

“In July of 1847, the first company of pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley after having trekked across the American West in search of a new home where the Saints could worship the Lord free of persecution. Many members in North America can trace their heritage back to these pioneer ancestors. But for most members of the Church worldwide, their pioneer heritage began elsewhere, either with recent ancestors who joined the Church or perhaps even with themselves as they became the first person in their family, community, or nation to embrace the gospel.

This month, as we celebrate our pioneer ancestry, you could ask yourself: Where did my legacy of faith begin? What sacrifices did the pioneers in my ancestry make to dedicate their lives to the Church? How can I honor and share their legacy?” (Liahona, July 2019)

While Pioneer Day is a big holiday within the LDS community, there are still many of us who do not have ancestors that crossed the plains with Brigham Young. Earlier this week Carolynn shared the idea to rely on the Pioneer ancestors of others as their stories still play a big part in the history of our faith. Although we are not related to them by blood, we can still feel a great connection to and be inspired by them. Another great way to celebrate pioneer day is to recognize and honor the pioneers from our own families who showed great faith and courage in their own ways, and to also recognize the ways in which we can emulate the pioneers in our own lives.

We would love to hear about YOUR legacy of faith. Who are the pioneers in your family? How do you display the pioneer spirit?

SARAH GARNER

thekindredpress.com
IG: @thekindredpress

The Miracle of a Photo

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My father in law is always the one with the camera, always has been. So, when I saw the boxes of photos just sitting in the basement, I knew I had to act. I knew there was something special to find!

“Could I take these pictures home with me and scan them?” I carefully asked.

With caution he answered, “Sure.”

Oh, I was so excited! I took the pictures home and scanned them. I scanned the front then the back, this way the descriptions could stay with the photos. It was a long process, but fun since it was Christmas break and my sister in law sat with me and talked. This batch was about 400 pictures!!! Only 47 were unlabeled.

After scanning I placed all the photos back into the box…… JUST KIDDING! I bought an album and put the photos in their own pocket, this is how I returned them to my father in law.

Now that the photos were scanned what to do with them? I wanted to share them with the rest of the family. Instead of individually sending them to each family member I decided to create a family Facebook group. Here I invited all the aunts and uncles and cousins then uploaded the photos into the group.

That’s when the magic started!

Stories started to pour out of the screen!

Memories resurfaced.

Conversations between cousins ensued! Teasing included.

But one comment, that I received in a message from my husband’s cousin, stuck with me:

“Thank you so much for posting these pictures! My family never owned a camera and I don’t have any pictures of me when I was young. I was able to show my wife that our kids DO look like me!!! Thanks again!”

This comment made all the hard work worth it! I’m so glad this cousin was able to see pictures of his youth. I even told him how to download the pictures from Facebook so he could print them out.

I can’t wait to get more pictures scanned in and uploaded to the family Facebook group! Imagine magic that will happen!

You never know what miracles will happen, what stories will be told, what memories will come to mind or what healing will happen with a photo.

CAMILLE MECHAM

themommygenealogist.wordpress.com/
IG: @themommygenealogist