(past notes) AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER

I decided to post a few entries from my notes on Facebook. Some of my favorites will be posted hereafter with the date. I plan to blog more regularly.

From Thursday, April 29, 2010:
An Affair to Remember


This is a night I’ll always remember. I wasn’t even going to go. As I waited in line for 20 minutes at Nauvoo Café and scarfed down my sandwich to rush over to the Conference Center in time, I thought, “Is it worth it?” I hurried to my seat and sat as thousands entered the building-many with silver or white hair talking about the Family History centers in their wards or stakes of which they’re a part. This topic ultimately bringing us all here tonight. “I’m so tired, and didn’t sleep much last night. I could be at home doing something productive,” I thought, “rather than just chilling at an event downtown when I’m SO SO tired.” I looked to the older couple sitting next to me. How his body must be tired. How her patience must have been refined through years of sitting and waiting. I could do it to for the next 90 minutes or so.

“But I should be here,” I thought. I’m a Family History consultant in my ward, and I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can so I don’t feel like an idiot when I try to help people on Sundays. It’s exciting too, but really, I mean honestly, could I have the time in all my life to dedicate my efforts to learning what these experts know? And wasn’t this just going to be a feel-good meeting, when I needed to actually be on the computer learning the system? Maybe my attitude wasn’t this bad, but I had no idea what was about to happen to me.

My ultimate goal of dedicating a portion of my life to a business that makes video biographies of people’s lives seemed so far off to me. I’m working toward it, but I was thinking, “How many people will actually see the videos I make? Will their grand-children really watch them and be inspired to become better because of knowing more about who their grandparents were?”

Sitting in that room full of over 20,000 people is humbling and it makes you feel quite small, as if what you do can’t possibly have a massive effect. Still it felt good to be at the Celebration of Family History tonight.

President Eyring spoke of his meeting his wife Kathleen. He talked about how from the second he saw her, he felt something, and every encounter with her made him feel like he had made a connection with part of his family. We all laughed at this comparison to doing family history work, but he made it come alive. Because each of these people we study and connect to our family tree had a story and a vision and were passionate. I’m waiting for that connection that will start my family, but in the waiting, I learned today one more purposeful way to spend my time and make sure that what I’m building is a more rich and fulfilling life with that person.

He talked about someone (I struggle with quoting) an ordinary person who felt like even in the vast sea of people and existence, as he tries to be part of something bigger than he is, his life just might matter to those who live after him. President Eyring then said, “So I must live it the best that I can.”

The videos that were played tonight, were stunning. The entire meeting was very personal to me especially, as I am a Family History Consultant, a member of the Church Audio/Visual department, a future maker of family video biographies, and as I realized my passion for that art is still alive.

After one funny but poignant video about a boy learning the bagpipes which later inspired his family to understand their Scottish heritage and celebrate it, the choir then sang along with that grown boy and his bagpipes, my very favorite song of all time which has extreme personal importance to me, “Amazing Grace.” I didn’t try to fight tears. They flowed freer and wetter than I had surface on my hands to dry them off my face. This was important. This was worth it.

David McCollough then gave a moving and stimulating speech on coming to know people. He said “People didn’t live in the past. They lived in the present. Their present. And to understand them, we have to understand their present- by reading what they read, the classics, and reading what they wrote, their intimate thoughts and impressions.” He explained why Journals are so important, and that no one is a self-made man, but we are all influenced by the people we never knew. They’ve all shaped us. And we find out who they are- not so different from us, in essentials, as we read their journals. President Eyring talked about that- how he had a distinct impression once that these experiences were not just for him, and to write them down. I would give my left pinky to have video of my mom or grandma or great grandpa when they were my age, talking about the things that were important or scary or exciting to them. To see their facial expressions, and hear their voice inflections. Yes, this is important.

David then then went into political, social, and artistic history and tried to explain what the people before us were working for, fighting for. It reminded me of one of my favorite quotes by J. Michael Straczynski, "We have to make people lift their eyes back to the horizon and see the line of ancestors behind us saying `make my life have meaning.' And to our inheritors before us saying 'create the world we will live in.' We're not just holding jobs and having dinner, we are the process of building the future."

It inspired me to read and spend my time in enriching my life becoming more interesting and sharing, by my attitude, with others the joy and truth of things that are good and honorable and worth passing on. I felt sad for all the time I’ve wasted in shallow, superficial, and forgettable endeavors, and hope there is enough time in my life to make up for it and to take every opportunity to spend more quality time with quality pursuits.

Yes, this was a very memorable night. And it was worth it.