While listening to the never-ending stream of COVID-19 news the other day, a story caught my attention. The title of the piece was “3 Conversations for More Resilient Families.” Dr. Matt Townsend, a social psychologist in Draper, Utah gave three powerful suggestions to make more of your time together as a family. Perhaps unintentionally his suggestions had great family history application, too.
Conversation 1: “You are not alone in this.”
Conversation 2: “What really matters to us.”
Conversation 3: “We can do hard things.”
These are great topics to discuss with your families as we ride out our current directives to “stay home, stay safe.” But as I considered the topics, I also thought about the incredible opportunities I have had these past weeks to spend time with my ancestors uploading stories and pictures I have inherited. I have learned that they also had to do hard things and the things that matter to me were also things that mattered to them; family, church, service, illness, we even uncovered family recipes from a great grandmother! I have learned to love these people even more and have felt their strength in my own DNA. For instance, in WWII, three of my great uncles from the same family served in the war at the same time. Think of the anxiety this must have caused their parents. It has been a joy to share these memories with my family, immediate and extended.
I know that not everyone has the same time commitments and cannot spend the time to upload all those memories, but your family can benefit from those amazing memories that someone else has happily put on FamilySearch. The reason for these memories on your ancestors’ pages is to have conversations about them and gain strength from their trials and triumphs, to know that you are not alone and that they and you can do hard things and be better for it.
Joseph F. Smith said in 1916, “Those who have passed on ‘are as deeply interested in our welfare today, if not with greater capacity, with far more interest behind the veil, than they were in the flesh… They see us, they are solicitous for our welfare, they love us now more than ever.’” Take a look at your family’s FamilySearch pages and start some great conversations today about your ancestors. I witness to you that it will bless your lives! — Janet Helland