My Family History Journey

Ministering

Rise and Walk by Simon Dewey

President George Albert Smith (1870–1951) said of ministering to others: “Our eternal happiness will be in proportion to the way that we devote ourselves to helping others.” The Divine Mission of Jesus Christ: Minister https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2014/06/the-divine-mission-of-jesus-christ-minister?id=p7&lang=eng#p7

I have been studying from a work book called Learn of Me by Stephanie Dibb Sorensen. She put together scriptures talks and articles about the life and attributes of the Savior based off Topical Guide references on Jesus Christ. I started this study in Septmeber, 2021.

In January 2017, President Russell M. Nelson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gave this advice: “Commence tonight to consecrate a portion of your time each week to studying everything Jesus said and did.” He suggested using the Topical Guide to do this. President Nelson in General Conference April 2017 related that he had done this challenge and he had become, “a different man,” as a result of his intensive study.

At first, I only did the study on Sundays but more recently I have tried to do it every day even if just for a few minutes. I am currently studying the attributes of Jesus Christ from a series in 2014 printed for Relief Society Visiting Teaching lessons.

This particular attribute of ministering is one that I have struggled to do consistently in my life. I tell myself that I am here to serve others but far to often my daily actions are selfish and focused on my needs.

Even at work where it is my job to minister to the needs of the sick, I have to make a conscious effort to focus on the needs of the patient and their families versus my need to get ‘my work’ done.

I really love the verse quoted above by President Smith and know that my life has been most rewarding when I am immersed in the ministering to others such as during my mission working in a refugee camp in Thailand, during the time my children were young and sporadically since then when doing intensive service for my Church callings. The other times I truly feel like I am ministering are the nights my family and I make and serve dinner to homeless youth in Salt Lake City.

Navajo Taco and Scone Night at Homeless Youth Resource Center

The effort to serve and the feeling of being of service are worth the ‘sacrifce’ of self, time and resources. I will keep working on developing this attribute in my life every day.

Sunday Morning Study

Abiding in God and Repairing the Breach https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2017/10/abiding-in-god-and-repairing-the-breach?lang=eng

In reading from Learn of Me a study guide on Jesus Christ in the Topical Guide, this morning I was directed to this talk by Sis. Neill F. Marriott. She asks several insightful questions that I plan on pondering today.

1. How are we going to wholeheartedly accept His invitation to draw near to Him and thus enjoy the blessings He longs to give us in this life and in the world to come?

2. Do we trust Him enough to abide in Him and walk with Him?

3. What matters to you? What is lasting to you?

4. Can you feel the depth of the love running through Their preparations for your joy and growth?

Sis. Marriott uses this scripture from Isaiah 58:12. “And they that shall be of the shall build the old waste places; though shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach and the restorer of the paths to dwell in.”

I want to be a repairer of the breach and build up waste places. Waste places and breaches in people’s hearts and souls and relationships as well as waste places in lives and our environment. Our Heavenly Father’s love is the truly the key to life and growth.

“When we give our heart to the Father and the Son, we change our world–even if the circumstances around us do not change.” Neill F. Marriott

My Front Lawn- A Waste Place

The Planet of the Humans

Gil and I watched a documentary last night by Jeff Gibbs. Jeff is an investigative reporter and he explored the issue of renewable energy–wind, solar, electric cars and biomass.

I have learned to be a bit skeptical of anything I watch. However, even if all of his conclusions aren’t completely 100% factual, he made some very worthwhile and thought provoking observations.

Mr. Gibbs also opened my eyes to some things I had not considered and I am always grateful for the experience of gaining new knowledge even when it is depressing and painful.

I have never given much thought to what goes into making solar panels. It requires coal, high grade quartz, and other fossil fuel inputs. He showed solar farms in the California desert that have been abandoned as the mirrors and panels have broken down over time.

Mr. Gibbs spent a lot of time in the movie on the “renewable” energy source of biomass. I have heard of biomass burning biofuels but according to his research, the greatest source of biomass are trees. We are cutting down trees in very large quantities and burning them ourselves or exporting them to Europe. This practice is considered renewal because supposedly a tree is planted for each tree that is cut down. But, it takes years for a new tree to grow and it seems like the carbon balance in this effort is very skewed.

One very discouraging and disturbing focus of the documentary was how much money corporations and very wealthy individuals are making off the drive for “green energy.” I realized as Mr. Gibbs showed the companies that make up some of the mutual funds that are considered to be environmentally friendly, that I am complicit in the ongoing deception and I am benefiting from this completely messed up system. How? I contribute roughly 11% of my income to my 401K every paycheck and I have really no idea how that money is invested. I am sure I am part of funds that have Monsanto, Chevron, Exxon, Rio Tinto, the Koch Brothers, etc in those funds.

Also, I am a consumer of food, fuels, clothes, air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter. I like to travel and see new places. I use water for my lawn and garden and flowers. I love eating grapes in winter that were flown all the way from Chile. I live in a very comfortable home that has always been larger than truly needed.

The movie ends with Mr. Gibbs making a very valid point, actually issuing a challenge to humankind. The challenge, stop deluding ourselves that switching to “green or renewable energy sources ” is going to solve our climate, energy, equity, and distribution issues. We each have to change what and how we consume our planet’s resources. If this fundamental change doesn’t happen on an individual basis, nothing will truly change in a positive way on our planet.

The final image of the documentary is of a mud covered orangutan lying on the ground dying after his/her forest habit has been cut down. For me it brought to mind the final scenes of The Lorax and the last Trufula tree.

UNLESS SOMEONE LIKE YOU CARES A WHOLE AWFUL LOT. NOTHING IS GOING TO GET BETTER. ITS NOT.

How do I keep these new realizations, increased awareness and this new perspective going?

How do I try to open the eyes of others?

How do I CHANGE myself?

Do I care enough to truly make hard decisions and sacrifices? Change my behaviors?

I do care and I will change!! This world and this planet is too beautiful and precious. I have to change and encourage others to change.

Life Is Not Fair

I work at a large hospital in a metropolitan area. I am a nurse case manager meaning I work with patients to arrange the services they need when they leave the hospital.

The nursing process that I was taught and have used for over 35 years is: assess, plan, implement and evaluate. One of the questions I ask almost every patient is: Have you or anyone living in your household in the past year been unable to afford rent/mortgage, food, medicine, utilities, transportation?

There is research that backs up asking this question. The research on social determinants shows the you have improved health outcomes if the basic needs of the person who is unhealthy or experiencing an illness are met.

So, I ask that question and I sincerely want to hear their answer. However, if they tell me they can’t afford their rent this month because they have been sick and unable to work..all I can tell them is, “Here is a resource you can call 2-1-1 and they might have a program that will help you.”

I want to be able to do more than just tell them to call 2-1-1. If I had a $100,000 to use for patients who have what I judge to be legitimate financial needs how would I distribute that money? How do I follow up and see if it truly made a difference? If people found out they could get their rent paid when they are sick does that incentivize illness? What are the ethics of paying for people’s immediate financial needs when they are so vulnerable?

These are difficult questions for sure with no easy answers but I want to keep grappling with the issues and not just let the idea go because it sounds difficult to execute.

Celebrate Life and Connection

Today our family celebrated the birthday of our dear friend, Gerrie Dixon. We enjoyed dinner with Gerrie at The Porch in Daybreak.

Gil, Gerrie, Shelly, and Nicole

Birthdays are truly amazing events. Birthdays reaffirm life and the passage of time. Birthdays are a way to mark another year of lived experiences. Birthdays whether we are celebrating 1 year or 100 years remind us that life is a true blessing meant to be lived and savored each and every day of that each year.

Oscar Wilde said: To live is the rarest thing in the world, most people just exist.

I am trying to LIVE each day of my life. A huge part of truly being alive is my connections to other people. To my husband, Gil, my daughters Jessica, Samantha, Cassandra and Nicole and my family and friends.

A recent article in the Deseret News about the impact connections /relationships have on aging might have been written with my friend, Gerrie, as one of the test subjects. https://www.deseret.com/2022/5/7/23060482/harvard-longevity-study-happiness-relationships-physical-mental-health-byu-waldinger-super-ager

Research, a lot of research, is showing that it is our relationships that helps us age well even more than our genetics. The theme for Rootstech 2022 was Connection. That is what the power of Elijah truly is the sealing power, the power of eternal connection.

I am so grateful for the connections in my life past, present and future. Living life to its fullest is all about creating, nurturing and celebrating connection.

4 months and 2 days!!

It has been 4 months and 2 days since my January 22 FH Reboot. Wow! And I have made maybe 5 entries since then…

LIFE!! Well, life has been crazy and my life has seen a lot of changes. The world has seen a lot of changes like Russia invading Ukraine, the end? of the COVID pandemic, high inflation, and a very tight job market.

My life change list includes 1. I am now working full time for Intermountain Healthcare as a nurse case manager on T6. 2. I resigned from being a BYU clinical instructor going forward (not because I didn’t love that job, I did, but because I want work at one job full time..I have never done that or at least not for a long time). 3. Gil and I are adapting to being empty nesters. 4. I am down to 150 pounds and hopefully still losing. 5. I am becoming a real hiker and have done a hike or at least a 2 mile walk for 19 weeks!! 6. I am more community involved than ever and loving it. 7. I have attended the temple almost weekly for the last 5 months. 8. I am learning more and more about being a disciple of Jesus Christ and developing Christlike attributes. 9. I have always been a fairly early riser but 5:30 is pretty normal for me now with hopefully 3 to 4 days/week of 4:30 am. 10. Seems like there should be 10 things but can’t think of one right now.

I am still trying to establish a consistent habit of daily FH. I watched a great video today from Rootstech 2022 that helped to demotivate. It showed some quick ways I can do FH on my phone in short 5 to 10 minute increments. Today, on the way to work I updated my Journey app for the last week with photos I had taken but not added to Journey. I also updated my 52 Hike FB page for the first time in months. The video: How to Save Your Best Memories is linked below.

https://youtu.be/06Np0_LZP40

Flowers on Grandeur Peak May 2022
My parents Max and Serena Watt at Idaho Falls Temple May 2022
Gil and I in St. George, Utah April 2022
View from Grandeur Peak Mother’s Day 2022
Jess and I in Dixie Rock area April 2022

Rootstech Aftermath March 7, 2022

I have been so moved by the scope of the Rootstech experience. I am at over 67,000 relatives and the technology allows me to contact each of those people directly by email. It also allows me to see my relationship with them. I just learned today that one of my friends in school, Clair Jackson, is my second cousin on the Dance/Watt side of the family. I never knew all those years of elementary and secondary school.

My goal with Rootstech this year is to take action! I can’t just be moved and influenced those three days! I need to learn, explore and do FH the other 362 days of the year. I need and want to Choose Connection; Discover, Connect and Share. Therefore, my goal is to watch at least 3 of the sessions on my playlist each week and put them into action. I can’t just watch and say that is cool, I should...and then nothing happens because of the fateful word, should. I should is going to become I am!

I actually put this concept into action last night. I finally called my parents and talked to them. I asked them about which U.S. presidents were most influential. Here is my Mom’s list: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump (she asked if it was okay if she included this one, I told her that it was okay), Thomas Jefferson (because he helped write the Constitution). My Dad’s list: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses Grant, Ronald Reagan, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and Donald Trump. We figured out that my father probably had his first opportunity to vote in a presidential election in 1956 when Dwight Eisenhower won re-election over Adlai Stevenson. That will go in their Storyworth book.

I was reading a short article on my Church of Jesus Christ home page from Sis. Eubanks about the Ukrainian Refugee Crisis. She said this:

Sister Eubank said voluntary service is not being used to its full potential. She pointed to JustServe, a free app that helps communities come together in service.

“People are the heart of the solution,” she said. “[Cooperative activities] remind us that we’re all children of the same God. Faith communities are perfectly positioned to do this because we’re very good at trying to make humanity come together and achieve a larger goal.”

Voluntary service is not being used to its full potential. I agree with Sis. Eubanks and I am feeling inspired and motivated to do more to help organize the desire and talents of people in my ward and community to serve and lift our brothers and sisters here and around the world.

Roots Tech 2022 Opening Day

I watched the Opening Session and then the evening session. WONDERFUL!! Theme this year is Choose Connection.

Talk about connecting..Relatives at Rootstech is an amazing app.

Over 50,000 relatives

The app will sort relatives by location and ancestor.

Technology is truly a blessing

Over 50,000 relatives and my mother whom I know is watching isn’t one of them. I need to call her tomorrow and get her to sign in along with my siblings. I choose connection!!

Rootstech 2022!

6 Reasons to Attend Rootstech 2022

I am going to be listening to and watching Rootstech 2022 starting March 3 through March 5! Join me in the virtual feast!

Classes for the event will have a mix of on-demand, livestream and interactive sessions that will allow attendees to learn, grow and connect to people all over the globe. Participants will also be able to connect with fellow attendees, speakers, experts and enthusiasts.

The conference is free and open to anyone. For updates, follow RootsTech on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

The 2022 theme is “Choose Connection.” Family Search is encouraging participants “to #chooseconnection, whether it’s by learning about ancestors, traveling to homelands steeped in your heritage, or even discovering how you’re related to your friends, you can make powerful connections to the people and places that matter most to you.”

A new set of educational classes will be featured during 2022, along with new technologies to explore in the virtual expo hall and inspiring stories shared by keynote speakers. Keynote speakers include Argentine singer Diego Torres, American actor Matthew Modine, French baker Apollonia Poilâne, Ghanaian boxer Samuel Azumah Nelson, Food Network’s Molly Yeh, Palestinian comedian Maysoon Zayid, and Brazilian actress Thaís Pacholek.