Season for Family

A community of women finding time for family connections.

Remembering the Pioneers

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If you’re a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints then you know why July 24th is important. It’s Pioneer Day! This is a day when we celebrate the pioneers entering the Salt Lake Valley.  

After many years of persecution and being forced from their homes, all for exercising their right to believe in God and worship Him how they wanted to, the Latter-day Saints finally found a place where they could settle down and call home. This was exciting and significant. It’s worth celebrating.

Their trials and hardships are also worth remembering and regarding with deep respect. We stand on the shoulders of giants – faithful men, women, and children that were willing to give up everything and pave the way for us to have the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

I would encourage you to spend some time this month researching and learning more about your own pioneer ancestors, if you have any. And if not, learn about the pioneers in general.

Invite your children to join you. This can be a lot of fun! Create tangible experiences. This is the second year that my children and I have spent the month of July learning about the pioneers and we have had amazing experiences. Head over to @goodmorningshelly on Instagram if you want to see what we’ve been up to and get some ideas for yourself. 🙂 

SHELLY LOPEZ

IG: @goodmorningshelly

Family Story Book: Kid Edition

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I really wanted to come up with an activity that would help my kids enjoy learning the stories of their ancestors. My kids like hearing the stories, but I felt like for this activity they really poured their little hands and hearts into it. It was personal, it was fun, and it is something they have come back to and looked through many times since.

I was actually a little shocked at how quickly I started and completed this activity. It hardly took any of my time once I got started and yet I enjoyed every minute of it. To make it just as simple and easy for you, I have broken it down into 3 easy steps! 😊

Step One: Find Your Story

There are so many options for finding a story so don’t let this first step scare you! Try one of these 4 ideas for a great story:

1. Look through Family Search

Once you have your family tree open on familysearch.org, start clicking on relatives names. I would focus on the relatives from the last few generations as you tend to find the most information on them. When you get to their person page, there is a tab called memories. If they have a number listed next to it, there will be memories in there to look at.

Click on the tab and scroll through all the memories listed. And be careful, this can be dangerous as you may find time quickly go by as you get lost in these intriguing stories😊. Keep doing this until you find a story, OR if you can’t find a good one, try another option.

2. Family History Books

Do you have any old family history books a relative compiled and gave to you? Look through there for some stories.

3. Call Up a Relative

This step is pretty self-explanatory. Call up your mom, dad, grandparents, uncle, aunt, etc. and ask them if they would send you, or tell you over the phone, a fun story from their lives. People love sharing about their younger years, especially to their grandkids/nieces or nephews. If you can use their own written or spoken words that make it even more authentic.

4. Tell One of Your Own Stories

Write down your own fun memory of your life! Your kids will LOVE it! Look through some old journals or photographs and think of a memory your kids will enjoy hearing about you.

Step Two: Type Up and Print the Story

This step is so simple. Look through your story, decide about how many pages you want/need and then break it up into simple, natural paragraphs. Copy or type out their paragraphs so that each one is printed at the bottom of the page, like my example below. Print out the pages and don’t forget a fun cover page!

Step Three: Color, Color, Color, Bind

This part was my favorite. I sat the kids down, explained who this relative was and how they were related to them (this is their 4th great-grandpa). I then told them I was going to read them a story from his life. While I was reading they needed to pay attention so they could pick which page they wanted to illustrate. When you are done reading, hand out the pages, some art supplies of your choice, and let their creativity free. I had them write their name on the page somewhere so we could always remember.

Bind the book up and read through it again with all the pages done. For binding I used a report slip cover I got from the dollar store, but a 3 -ring binder or staples would work perfect too.

This truly was such a fun activity from my 3-year-old to our teenage cousins who helped us. I am so excited to get more stories done so we can have a stack of family stories to read through on Sundays, do for Family Home Evening, and to share with other relatives who come to visit. I hope you will try it out and leave a comment on the blog or our Instagram account @seasonforfamily. Happy storytelling!

KAYLA BERRETT


IG: @kaylaberrett

Hearts Around the World Project—Belgian Woman

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“In the future, women, rather than men will be the ones to change the world.” ~ Malala Yousafzai

A couple years ago I had this idea for Hearts Around the World Project after reading so many stories about my ancestors—particularly women. These ancestors, who were amazing, normal, ordinary people, who had extraordinary lives. They went through so many trials, and heartache, triumph and love, yet their stories had been forgotten. These ancestors chose to be brave, vulnerable and had to make hard choices, things I don’t think I could make. I love what Brene Brown says about vulnerability.

“Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it is our greatest measure of courage.” That’s what these ancestors are to me, courageous.

As I learned more about some amazing women in my family tree, I found that my ancestors had similarities with myself, my sister, my mom, my grandmother. I realized that we may be from a different time and place, but we are all similar. We all want love, happiness and peace. We all have a story to tell. We don’t always realize it, but we can all learn from one another, support one another and grow and blossom. 

Stories have been around from the beginning of time, we are all drawn to stories in one way or another. I began searching for women from all over the world who had a story to tell. I asked family and friends and I was amazed at the willingness of people who I got to know through this project. When I started, I thought that I would share a few good stories, that I would help that person share their story and maybe heal a little bit. I thought a few women would be able to relate and that was it. What I didn’t realize is that it would change me. I was impacted by these women and their stories. Each woman that I talked with, taught me something. I may not relate to their experiences, but I understood the emotions and learned from them more than I could have imagined. I feel such a love and respect for these beautiful women, they became my friends.  

Michele was the only person that I was able to meet in person. She was from Vietnam and France, but came over to the U.S. as a young woman. Michele invited me to her home, and it has become one of the most emotional and beautiful experiences of my life. Michele taught me about bravery and courage. She never was a victim, but a survivor. I loved learning about Michele’s courage that she has shown throughout her life. 

Claudia became a friend immediately. We live over 5,000 miles apart, myself in Utah and Claudia in Romania, but we were connected. I may not go through the same things she goes through, but I am a mother as well. I have watched her pure love of a mother get her through the hard times. She is such an example to me. 

Celia is a beautiful mother and grandmother. She lives in Hong Kong and we didn’t even speak the same language, but her daughter translated my questions and her answers. Celia showed me her beauty and grace. It took many trials, but she learned how to love herself and know that her Heavenly Father loves her too. 

These women are strong, brave, loving, beautiful, courageous women. I am a better person for knowing their stories. I love what Dennis B. Neuenschwander said about why are stories are so important to our descendants. “A life that is not documented is a life that within a generation or two will largely be lost to memory. What a tragedy this can be in the history of a family. Knowledge of our ancestors shapes us and instills within us values that give direction and meaning to our lives.” 

A year ago, I went to Europe with my sister, I wasn’t sure why I needed to go, but I felt this need to go, there was a purpose for me. We spent time in France, Belgium, and The Netherlands. In each place we met many people, and each left a little piece of themselves with me. As I got to know different people, without prompting each person shared a little bit of their story and why they were there. I even learned more about my purpose for the trip as I shared with strangers who I was and my own story. 

There was a woman we met, who I will never forget. I call her the Belgian Woman. I never knew her name, in-fact, we couldn’t even understand each other—we spoke different languages. We were walking in a busy touristy part of Brussels, the world seemed to be bustling around her and she stood frozen in time.

When I first saw her, I felt sorry for her, she appeared to be a beggar on the street. We saw many people in France and Belgium who were asking for money and it’s hard to know if they are really in need or just trying to get easy money. When I saw her, I didn’t care the reason, she had a light and I wanted to help her. She held a cup in one hand and a cane in the other. This Belgian woman wore a hijab on her head and wore a button-down green coat. It wasn’t what she was wearing that drew me in, it was her smile. Her skin weathered from time, but her eyes sparkled. I was just drawn to her.

As we walked toward her, I held out my money and gave it to her. The coins gave a loud cling as the bounced inside the cup. She put her cane in her other hand. Without speaking words, she said thank you as she held her hand against her heart.

I held up my camera questioning if I could take a picture of her. She nodded and smiled again. My sister gave her more money as I took a couple pictures of her. Again, she held her hand to her heart and bowed her head in thanks. After my camera dropped against my chest, I gave her some more money. My heart was full. 

We saw her again in the same place the next day. I don’t know her story, I have no idea what she does with the money she is given, but I knew how she made me feel. Not how I felt after I gave her money, but how her smile made me feel. I felt her love and peace. I know that she has had experiences that I may never go through or understand. We don’t always know what is true and what is just perceived by our own thoughts and ideas about someone. However, together we can love, forgive, and help each other. “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples.” Mother Teresa was so right when she said that. Our stories are important and need to be told. We can help one another by sharing our stories and listening to others. We can learn from each other. What story do you want told about you? Do you want to be the storyteller of your own life?  

I’m so excited to share Hearts Around the World Project with Season For Family. It’s been such a special experience for me, and I think our stories are important. I hope that some of these stories can help others as much as they have impacted my own life. 

“We are mosaics—pieces of light, love, history, stars—glued together with magic and music and words.” ~Anita Krishan 

DANI OLDROYD

roots2blossoms.com
IG: @roots2blossoms