Happy Birthday Crystal!

Crystal Dawn Melick 1983-1987

Twenty-eight years ago today I became a mother! It was one of the most significant days of my life and I will never forget those incredible feelings of love that I felt for my new little one! I always knew families were important, but at that moment, nothing else in the world mattered. It was a good thing that I didn't know that only a short 3/12 yrs. later, Heavenly Father would call her home. Today, her memory is very much in my heart! I'm grateful for the very brief time that I had with her. I'm grateful for the journal that I kept of her life. I know that with that journal I can always turn back the hands of time, very briefly, in my mind. I'm grateful that the pain of losing her has dimmed and the memories of her life have grown. I'm grateful to know that I will see her again one day.

Merry Christmas!  May you enjoy the Christmas season with YOUR family!

December 2011

The Rest of the Story!

Photo Credit: www.3wordjournal.com

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about a class that Randal Wright was teaching called "3 Word Journals." I moaned that I was going to miss it at the Provo Library but then I discovered that I could catch the class later at the Riverton FamilySearch Library. I was stoked! Well, that class was this past weekend and I loved it! Brother Wright is entertaining and serious at the same time. He tells great stories about his childhood AND the lessons that he learned. What the class boiled do to was being more aware of what you do in your life. What do you observe? What experiences are you having? Brother Wright talked about journals with a passion! When he asked the audience why they didn't journal, most of them said that they didn't have time, their lives are too boring to record, can't stand to write, blah, blah, blah! We have all used those excuses! Brother Wright introduced a new concept to us, or at least to me. So, here's the scoop! I DO have permission from Brother Wright to give you the basic concept of 3 word journaling and NO, I am not getting compensated in any way for my insights. These words are mine and mine alone.

1. Keep a small notebook with you all the time.
2. Write down everyday experiences in just 3 well-chosen words.
3. Go back and spend 15 minutes elaborating on your three words.
4. Glean the life lesson learned from your experience.
5. File under topics.
6. Keep doing this. Pretty soon you will have a whole file of life experiences from which to draw talks, lessons, and helps for your loved ones.

For some really cool examples of how this works, go to 3wordjournal.com and look at the sample entries on the left side of the page. They really are insightful and they show you exactly how fun this can be! As a parting thought, below are the lessons that you will learn from The 3 Word Journal according to www.3wordjournal.com.

1. Record a journal entry in approximately 10 seconds

2. Recall and record all the significant experiences and lessons from your life

3. File every lesson from life by topic and have them instantly available

4. Become a far more interesting conversationalist

5. Prepare effective speeches, lessons and presentations very quickly

6. Easily write a multi-volume history of your life to leave for posterity

7. Have an endless supply of material for teaching, reminiscing, books and blogs

8. Enjoy a hobby for life that you will never tire of

9. Greatly increase your knowledge and make better decisions

10. Feel increased gratitude for what you have and find more happiness in life

11. Discover your strengths and talents and how to use them to reach your potential

12. Realize the weaknesses that are holding you back and how to overcome them

13. Understand more clearly why you feel and act the way you do

14. Set 100 life goals that will provide both direction and motivation to your life

15. Discover your personal mission in life

There is Hope after All!

My last post talked about a class by Randall Wright at the Provo Library on 3 Word Journals. I was dismayed to find that I couldn't attend the class because of a conflict! As I was looking at the Riverton FamilySearch Library class schedule for August, a hallelujah chorus started in my head! Randall Wright will be speaking on 3 Word Journals at the monthly seminar in Riverton! Can I say that I am excited? I am! I will go and I will enjoy and I will ask permission to share my notes! Here is the August 20th, 2011 seminar schedule!

Riverton FamilySearch Library Seminar

Saturday, August 20, 2011, 9:00 am - Noon

13400 South and Bangerter Hwy.

Photo Credit: 3wordjournal.com

9:00 a.m. - Keynote Address - "The Three Word Journal: Finding Your Purpose in Life" - Randal Wright (learn more about this in advance at 3wordjournal.com) Check out the sample chapters!

10:00 a.m. - “New FamilySearch Advanced Issues, Part 1" - Cathy Anderegg

10:00 a.m. - "The Google Genealogist" - Devin Ashby

10:00 a.m. - "Pennsylvania Research, an Overview" - Tim Bingaman

10:00 a.m. - "You sNEWS You Lose - Using Newspapers in Research" - Bret Peterson

11:00 a.m. - “New FamilySearch Advanced Issues, Part 2" - Cathy Anderegg

11:00 a.m. - “Synchronizing PAF 5 Data with New FamilySearch using Ancestral Quest, the Program from which PAF 5 was Derived" - Paul Johnson

11:00 a.m. - "Research Strategies and Web Sites" - Diana Toland

11:00 a.m. - "FamilySearch and Billion Graves - Family History Sources Right at Your Feet" - Tim Cross 

The 3 Word Journal!

Photo Credit: http://www.provolibrary.com/

I have really been thinking about journals and personal history lately. My last post addressed this, but I am still thinking about it, so here goes another one! I guess I am reviewing my life lately and I am wondering what will be written about me when I die. Did I make a contribution to society? Did I make a contribution to my family? What did I teach them? What did they learn from me? Will relatives down the line be interested in my life?

I went to the Provo Library today and saw this flyer! I am going to see if I can find this book. I am always interested in different ways to journal and write personal histories. In our fast paced world, the written word is getting the shaft in favor of short emails and text messaging. This book looks interesting, and no, I'm not being reimbursed or anything like that by companies that I mention. It's just me, wanting to let you know what is out there and around. With the Internet, many things that were once only in one place can now be accessed anywhere in the world. It's awesome!

If this looks interesting to you, you can learn more about it at www.3wordjournal.com. Again, I'm not promoting or being compensated for this, I just thought that you would like to know!

Do You Keep a Journal?

ldsjournal.com

Ah, a journal! We have heard about journals all of our lives. If you aren't LDS, maybe you call it a diary! Still, it is a written record of your life. We, in the LDS church, consider journals to be a top priority. While we know in our hearts that it is a top priority, we still don't always do what we should. You're sure that your life is boring and that your descendants will never be excited about your life! At least those are the signals that your children are sending to you! Well, it ain't so! I have a book that was written by a great, great aunt of mine. She lived in the Pennsylvania coal mining country of Luzerne County. It is fascinating to read about her life and the lives of her parents and brothers and sisters. Catherine owned a children's dress shop for a while in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. On a couple of pages, Catherine lists the cost of everyday items. Wow, have times changed! Thread is no longer 5 cents and I have never in my lifetime seen ground beef for 10 cents a pound! Fascinating reading...Anyway, my point is that your descendants WILL be interested in your life. So, keep a journal! I type a whole lot faster than I write so I have been using a journal program online that I found. I have to say that it makes journal keeping so easy! LDSJournal.com. It's easy, it's free and you don't have to be LDS. And no, I have no connection to the company except that I am a fan of their site!  :)