While this is technically day #42 of my journey, I haven’t posted but once in the last week. I have done FH on most of those days, but it has been late at night and consisted of watching a video on BYU Family History YouTube about Christmas Memories from Around the World or talking to my mother or father-in-law. I haven’t really done any searching this last week on Family Search. I did go to the Jordan River Temple and do an endowment session on Saturday afternoon for a distant cousin’s wife.
Today, I was planning on getting up early but ended up sleeping in until 7 am. My FH today consisted of watching George C. Scott in the The Christmas Carol. This is a family tradition for us and has been for years. Gil loves watching this movie, it is really the only one he insists on watching. Samantha was home tonight and watched with us. Nicole is at Owen’s doing a Lord of the Rings movie marathon. Re-watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy is also a family holiday tradition, so Samantha was a little put out that Nicole was not watching with all of us.
Today is Jessica’s 27th birthday! She is working tonight at the hospital in St. George. She will be home on Wednesday, and we will celebrate her birthday then. We have a family tradition of breakfast of your choice in bed..so I will do that for her on Thursday morning.
Today I participated in the ward choir’s annual Christmas Program. There were several times during the songs that I was tearful enough that I couldn’t sing my notes. I was so glad that Samantha, Nicole and Owen and Gil were there to listen to the songs and hopefully, they felt the Spirit there also.
My favorite line in The Christmas Carol is uttered in despair by Jacob Marley..”Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!” Marley is talking about perspective, about priority, and sadly about regrets. I don’t want to forge a chain in life because I have lost sight of “my business.”
To that end and with a sure knowledge of how blessed I am in so many ways.. I recommit to “my business.” “My business” is being a true disciple of Jesus Christ. That means opening my mouth and sharing my testimony of my Savior Jesus Christ. It means being an active witness of Jesus Christ and His restored church on this earth in all things, at all times and in all places. It means learning to live with faith, not fear, in my everyday choices and actions. It means gathering scattered Israel through FH, family activities, service and more SERVICE. It means coming to know my Savior through prayer, scripture study, personal revelation, and service to everyone in my sphere of influence.
When I die, I want it said of me, “Mankind was her business. The common welfare was her business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were all her business.”