When we cleared out my parents’ house, we found my father’s typewritten history. I volunteered to type it into electronic format. I had let it sit for many years, as other things had my attention. I thought that I had finished it. A few months ago, my sister asked me about it.
I searched for the history and was worried that I had lost it. I searched my computer and backups for the work I had done. To my relief, I located the computer file and the hard copy but discovered that I had not yet finished typing it. I finished typing the history a couple of days ago. My Dad passed away 22 years ago. It was so fun to hear his voice again in his writing. It made me so happy that he was my Dad. I really loved him. He always made me feel that he was proud of me and of the person I was becoming.
During this Covid year we played a family trivia game with our children. Two of our children live out-of-state, so we gathered online. We each took our turn writing up questions about our family experiences. Each had a weekly chance to quiz the others based on his or her questions. The player with the most correct answers was in charge of writing up the next series of trivia questions. It was a fun way to connect us. When it was my turn to ask the questions, I found that many of my questions had to do with family history and our heritage. It was fun to share memories of my parents and grandparents. Stories came up that I had never shared before. Lyle came up with questions that dealt with things long before our children were born and used it as a way to tell some of his history to the children.
It is my testimony that everyone can play a part in family history. Some of us like to research. Some are really good at indexing. Some love to go to the temple. Some work in temples. Some are good with pictures and others collecting or writing histories. Some are good at conducting interviews. Others love to stay connected with extended family members and help us to stay close. Whatever your strengths are, you can contribute to this great work.
It is also my testimony that if you want to feel an added measure of the Spirit in your life, get involved in family history work.
–-Sue Odendahl