Thinking Outside the Box

The box? What box? Oh! THAT box! You know the box you’re using to gather information about you and your family. The one under the chair? That you put in the back of the closet because Aunt Mildred was coming over.

Just kidding! I’m sure many of you have been picking up things here and there as you put the Christmas decorations away and getting the house organized after the hustle and bustle of the holidays has finally calmed down. And hey, look out that window, is it really snow?

Don’t get distracted now; you’re on a path to success! What’s the next step? I’m glad you asked!

It’s time for a walk down memory lane. Look through that stuff in the box. Organize just what is in the box in a chronological order. You could get a notebook and make notes about your memories, the beginning of a more detailed personal and family history. It’s not necessary to write down your entire history in a day, a week, or even a month. Just get started, keep that box out where you can see it, make a goal to work on your personal and family history at a certain time on a regular basis. Some people use Fast Sunday as a day for working on your personal family history or the last Monday for Family Home Evening. Setting a specific day will help you be successful!

Are thoughts tickling the back of your mind about your family tree? That often happens as we look back in our own lives and think of fond memories. Usually many of those memories include family members living and gone from us. I remember “Uncle Charlie’s” cabin way out in the country (Bellevue). Whatever happened to Uncle Charlie? I know the answer to that, and have been blessed in the opportunities to search out Uncle Charlie, Uncle Pete, and the list goes on.

If you are inspired to figure out your family tree there are lots of ways to go about it. For help you can go to the Church website (lds.org) and click on “Family History and Temples,” a list will come up that will allow you to link to several sites that would help you. If you click on “Family History Basics” you can find online help for how to start your Family History as well as links to research help and the Family History Library Catalog.

And if all of that sounds the least bit intimidating please contact your friendly family history consultants! We love to hear your stories and help you organize and find more about your family history!