Changing the World

It is within you to change the world––not the whole world but the circle of influence you'll be able to reach. Amazing quote from Ardeth Kapp-an LDS Young Women leader, writer and educator at a recent talk at BYU. That quote reminded me of my PATRIARCHAL BLESSING, that I received when I was 20 years old and a Junior at BYU, it says...you will be able to make a contribution to this world that will be helpful to its advancement and its upbuilding. That sentence always made me feel uneasy, not understanding what it really meant. Was I going to be famous (and rich), so that I could be an influence for good on many? Now reading it over in light of Ardeth Kapp's quote, it finally makes sense to me and relates to EACH OF US in our daily lives.

We all have the OPPORTUNITY to be an influence for good or bad on everyone we come in contact with but especially with our family members and close friends who we interact with the most. Just walking down the street or meeting a total stranger, we can IMPACT their life in some way. Maybe by saying just the right word or giving ENCOURAGEMENT to someone that needed a lift that day. I firmly believe that God uses US to touch the lives of others, and TO ANSWER THEIR PRAYERS. There is a deeper meaning and structure to our lives than any of us know. (Thanks to my friend Mary who is my teacher and my student-photo below. She's helped me find new doors with opportunities to explore. Check out her website. She makes lovely calligraphy pedigree charts with original illustrations.)

So how does one find that deeper meaning? Writing in a journal thoughtfully can help us unearth our PERSONAL MISSION here on earth. PRAYER, COMMUNION and MEDITATION also can elevate our thoughts beyond the mundane to see the whole picture. The PURPOSE of earth life and the effect our daily endeavors have on others shows us what we can accomplish, OPENS new doors, and develops a NEW OUTLOOK within us about our life. That's why I love BLOGGING, it's an opportunity to look into other's souls and share some of their deepest emotions and thoughts. Then take the time to respond and share your reactions on what they have written. Thanks to all who take time to comment on my blog-you make my day!

How did we meet?

Time for some personal though still FAMILY HISTORY blogging. Got the idea from Kay's blog on how she met her husband. That's something that everyone NEEDS TO KNOW about their parents and grand parents-how they met. My parents and my maternal grandparents met at a dance. My paternal grandparents met through a mutual friend. So how did I met my husband? The answer is...at a dance, of course.

Being newly divorced and lonely at the time, I had been going to our church's singles dance for several months without meeting anyone to date. My husband (to be) was also newly divorced but had NEVER been to any dance anywhere when he choose Friday the 13th in Oct 1992 to visit two dances: one in Salt Lake City which he left early, and then one in Provo, Utah. I noticed him when he walked into the church dance in Provo late and stood shyly at the sidelines.

Moving closer, I started a conversation and asked if he knew how to do the line dance that was going on at the moment. He said...no, he didn't. With my background as a dance teacher, you can probably picture us dancing into the sunset BUT my husband is an engineer and NOT a dancer. So, of course, I offered to teach him. We danced or rather I tried to teach him how to dance the rest of the evening unsuccessfully. At the end of the evening we decided to meet the next night for another Singles dance which we did.

The funniest thing about our initial meeting was that he didn't even live in Utah but was there from New Mexico visiting his daughter Alicia who was attending BYU. Our second dance/a date led to an invite to my house for dinner the next day before he returned to New Mexico. Phone calls and letters were soon our mode of courting over the hundreds of miles separating us until my new boy friend could make the long drive (10 hours) or flight from Phoenix, Arizona to Salt Lake City for a weekend date in my hometown. (I didn't know at the time that Allen's ex-wife was also attending the singles dances occasionally. One weekend when he wasn't in town, she came up to me and said...he's a really nice guy. I found that to be a really strange but true endorsement. Evidently she had seen us dancing together the previous week.) 

It didn't take long before Allen and I fell in love. (Read this poem about my feelings of overcoming trials like a divorce in your life.) I soon invited him for Thanksgiving dinner and then for Christmas celebrations. By Valentine's we were officially engaged, then married in June 1993 in the Salt Lake City LDS TEMPLE. Fifteen years later, we are retired and enjoying life in So. Utah but we don't go to dances anymore. They served their purpose to give us (as well as my parents and grandparents) the opportunity to meet. 

So tell us how you met your spouse, if you are married. Ask your parents and grandparents-if they are still around how they met-if you don't know and write it down for your posterity. Now, you are doing FAMILY HISTORY-preserving memories for your descendants and loved ones.

Welcome VISITORS and FRIENDS

Greetings to anyone visiting my blog for the FIRST TIME as well as my regular readers which include family and FRIENDS. Sure would like to have your comments and feedback on my efforts. (Click on the comments link for instructions on how to get registered with Google if you aren't already.) I plan to continue providing tips on doing FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH occasionally but will return to my former FOCUS of including everyday happenings, poetry and personal views. Hope you'll bookmark my blog and become a regular reader who comments.

Well, the FAMILY HISTORY EXPO of the past weekend is now a memory and I have new goals and adventures in mind for the future. I'm reading Julia Cameron's book on The Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right-Size. Great ideas...and I am loosing weight about 1 pound a week. Slow and steady. The principles she writes about are so cool. I love the idea of making a TA DAH! list at the end of the day of things you have accomplished that day. It's more motivational than a TO DO list-(although I still use that too). Try writing down your accomplishments daily and you'll be amazed.