Record Keepers....

Are you a record keeper?  Do you write down the experiences of your lives to share with your family--now and years in the future?  Does writing bring you happiness or peace or comfort or does it allow you to vent from the worries of the world?

I come from a long line of record keepers--they each did it in their own way based on the times of their lives:

My great grandfather Benjamin Franklin Owen traveled west on horseback as a young man and kept track of his journey in a leather bound journal.  That journal was lost and he rewrote his story from memory later in his life.  My great grand uncle, brother to BJ Owen's wife-Jane, wrote about his journey west in a poem in the latter years of his life.  I have the texts of both of these which is what I used during our journey along a part of the Oregon trail a few years ago.

My grandfather, Robert "Ves" Owen wrote letters to family members that allow us to see pieces of his personality. We just received these letters this past summer from a distant relative.  What a blessing for us. In addition, he wrote some of his life story in a Book of Remembrance.

My mom, Eileen Jane Owen Giberson, wrote letters almost weekly to her parents, wrote in personal journals for most of her adult life, and also wrote personal and family histories.  

The chest of my mom's which holds her many journals and 
books of poems

A look inside the cover of one of her journals:

A day in her life--seeing her handwriting is such a sweet thing!

This is the last page of her journal about a month before she died:

She had been in the hospital for an unrelated thing and she had

taped a sweet note that someone had sent her.

Her journal has many of these types of things.

My dad has written his life story (at least to the age of 62 or so--although he tells me that he is working on the last 20 years of his life at this moment.) in two different forms--one a poem entitled "Games" and another more traditional life story called "Three Mothers."

In looking through some family history items, I found this printout of another history of an ancestor. This is James Addison Bussnell. It is not clear to me how we are related or why I would have this.  More research is needed for sure, but I was struck by the first paragraph--

"I have often, mose earnestly wished, that my parents, had, one or both of them, left on record a sketch, however short, of the principle events in their lives.  I would have chereshed it as most precious legacy.  And in addition to this, they had given their impression of passing events, events which have long since become historical, the value of such a volume would be immeasurable increased and judging my dear children by my own feelings, I have often thought the last few years that I would write such a sketch for their perusal after I have passed away, which according to the laws of human life is not very far in the future--I am now on this, 29th day of February 1892, in my sixty sixth year, having first seen the light on the 27th of July A.D. eighteen hundred and twenty six, near Fredonia, Chatauqua county in the state of New York."

He actually died on April 8, 1912, so he lived much longer than he expected when he started to write this autobiography. He added items to his history until close to the end of his life.

I tell you this to remember you that people in the future will care about who you were and what you thought about what you experienced.  I have not led the lives that my ancestors led, but I learn from their examples of courage, adventure, love of God and their fellow men.  My parents, I know more closely, but reading their words allows me to see them from a different point of view--not as a child sees their parents, but as fellow travelers in this same journey home to our Heavenly Parents. 

This subject has come up (over and over again) as we serve with the people from the Church History Library.  These are historians who love the stories of every day people about every day events and stories about amazing people and amazing events---and aren't we all part of both groups!  I have not been a "record keeper."  I have started SO many journals as a result of a new years resolution or a talk or lesson in Church, but after several or maybe only a few pages, I neglected them.  Grateful that I have the sweet entry which stated "I met Gary Hall from Syracuse, Utah, today at the party.  He was nice."  That was the first full day at BYU as a freshman.  I can tell you that it was not love at first sight and it was 4 1/2 years later before we were to be married.  I didn't have a clue that night.

Anyway--back to record keeping--of course, in 2009 I started a blog.  At first, the purpose was a easy way to share with my family about a facial surgery Jena was going to have at Primary's.  It was before messaging with pictures and Facebook was such a thing--so I thought I could keep everyone updated through the blog.  I totally expected it to end after she was home and recovered.  I kept the name as the tagline I always used when I emailed my

 dad  --Hi from Syracuse.  If I had known it was going to become such "a thing" for me, I would have probably named it something more dramatic.  I don't know why it has been easier to sustain the blog than other things.  I think the ease of adding pictures and sharing them has been part of it.  The other piece is that I love that my dad and my sweet mother-in-law love/loved reading the blog and I love sharing it with them.  As I write, it is to them that I am writing and to my grandchildren and great grandchildren--to help them remember who I was and how much I loved them.  I also focused on it as a task for Sunday and with only two other people around that has made it easier to do.  (Of course, I am about three weeks behind this Sunday so it isn't a perfect system but I do try to catch up where possible.)

The point of this whole post is to convince you to write the stories of your life--the good and the bad.  The triumphs and struggles--the joys and the worries--no one else can do it the way you can.  You are seeing history all around you and your view will be treasured by those who come after you.

My grandfather also wrote poems.  Here is one of my favorites-  It is called "To Robert Jr.," my uncle.

There's a race to be won

When the day is done.

And a place,

In the race,

For you.

I am wearing your colors

And hope,

At the end,

To cheer

When I see them come through.

I know through my reading about my grandfather--his poems, his letters, and his autobiography-- and the two memories I have of him--that he is also wearing "my colors" and I am sure he will be there "at the end" when I return home.  I will know him and I know that he loves me.  I want those who come after me to know me and that I love them as well.

Now I will get off my soap box!  (But start writing your own history!)