I am a Brewster babe, and I am a genealogizer

Confession: I knew not one singular fact, quote, or plotline about Frank Capra's "Arsenic and Old Lace" until last Friday, when a handsome date and I attended a local theatre's production of it. We both really liked the show. Periodically during the show, my date turned to me and serenely said, "I'm so glad this isn't a musical." :) And at one particular point I turned to him and said, "Oh wow hey! I'm related to the Brewsters!" because the characters on the stage had just dialogued about their being descendants of the great William Brewster, who was a Mayflower passenger in the 1600s. (Brewster is approximately my 12th great-grandfather.)

It's moments like these Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-in-the-theatre moments that I feel the Spirit of Elijah churning cheerfully in my soul (see final chapter of the final book in the Old Testament).

For half a decade I've been keenly interested in genealogy. I love touring my family lines on ancestry websites, and I LOVE snooping around friends' pedigrees to see what their heritages are.

Not only does genealogizing (hehe, new word) always feel like an exciting figurative time machine ride, but it also always feels uplifting. I sense the Holy Ghost with me every time I genealogize. I would even go as far as to say that figurative time machine rides are uplifting, reason being because of all my amazing ancestors whom I was pleasantly astounded to discover. People like:

1) Jesse Davis, military captain in the American Revolutionary War, commended for bravery by his dear friend George Washington

2) Princess Unami Ann Sachem, daughter of Chief Suncloud of the Algonquian tribe in the colonial era

3) Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, whose original sonnet format served as great inspiration to William Shakespeare (Grandpa Henry, first cousin to Ann Boleyn, was actually killed by none other than King Henry VIII)

No way would I have known about Jesse, Unami, or Henry if distant relatives did not share [on new.familysearch.org] the family history facts they knew. I am endlessly thankful for these relatives and their efforts. I'm especially thankful for my own sweet grandparents whom I've been tremendously blessed to know in life, who have kept splendid journals to which I have access. Oh how I treasure all these writings! Even the writings that explain that my 17th century grandmothers and great-aunts were indicted witches in Salem, Massachusetts!

Also among my heritage's priceless records are the stories that I've found about my Mormon pioneer ancestors. They emigrated from Wales and Denmark---thousands of miles across the wide, shining, turbulent Atlantic---then handcarted thousands more in unimaginably trying times. Despite hardship, they beautifully exercised faith in God, because they believed that staying faithful was what God wanted them to do, and they wanted to please Him.

My lovely eldest sister and her three younglings pulling the handcart at our family reunion.

When I ponder my ancestors and their lives, what do I think about?

---I think about how I, too, can exercise faith in God in all things, times, and places
---I think about how I can continually seek learning in this exciting world, and develop and share my talents for good
---I think about how I can be brave, stand up for what's right, and serve my country, community, fellowmen, family, and Savior

Many of you may not ever be able to find much information on your ancestors, perhaps due to minimal or inadequate past recordkeeping that's completely out of your control. I've coached some of you in the work of genealogy, and I know your struggles and frustrations when you come to stone walls in your family lines. When you encounter such walls, try indexing; it's also a wonderful way to genealogize, and it's immensely helpful to others around the world who, too, have encountered walls.

I imagine that coming face-to-face with the stone walls, or simply not knowing who your ancestors are, could lead you to uncertainty of what benefits you can reap from generations who've come before you, or potentially lead you to believe that you have no special heritage at all.

Please don't choose to be led astray this way. If you're not sure what your familial legacy is, choose to follow the righteous examples of as many honorable men or women---dead or alive---as you can remember. Do that. Do righteously.

And, so you can end the unawesome tradition of minimal or inadequate recordkeeping: keep a journal, hardcopies of letters and emails you write, notes you jot, and anything of the like. Keep your writings in a safe and tangible place. For example, I plan to print off all my emails to and from my missionary brothers (who represented The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), and insert them into chronologically-organized clear sheet protectors, which I will put in a special binder.

Break the unawesome tradition because......why? Well, if you don't break it and don't record some of your life, how in the blazes will the generations yet to come know who you are? They deserve, just as you and I do in present-day, to learn wonderful things about their predecessors. Why don't we give them that opportunity by writing at least a little bit of ourselves?

Let this be your joymaking pointer (relative to peacemaking pointer): do what you can now to bless the lives of your posterity later. I am fearless to guarantee that much of your posterity will appreciate you from the bottoms of their hearts. And may we all also be sure to turn our hearts to our loved ones from the past, for it wouldn't be surprising in the slightest sense that they smile upon us whenever we deliver them our honor.

Scriptural reference: Malachi 4:5-6