I own a pearl necklace. Every girl should. My pearls
belonged to my grandmother Phyllis Marker who inherited them from her mother
Norma Maddock. I was lucky enough to be given the pearls after my grandma
passed away in 2000. It took me a few years to grow into them (I was a bit too
much of a tomboy when I was ten to appreciate a strand of pearls), but now I
adore wearing them! I just feel so classy. But I also feel a connection to my
grandmother when I wear them. My grandmother had a way of making me feel so
special. Maybe I was extra spoiled since I was her youngest granddaughter, but
I think that was just my grandma’s way.
I like to think of my grandma when I wear my pearls, but
lately I find myself wondering more and more about my great-grandma who owned
them before her. Were the pearls a gift from her husband for Christmas? Or an
anniversary? Or offered as an apology after a fight? I hardly know anything
about her aside from a few stories my dad has told me on long car trips. What
was she like? What were her hopes and dreams? What was important to her? I’d
like to think she has passed on much more to me than jewelry. Am I like her?
How has her life shaped mine? This
summer I intend to find out—not just my great-grandmother’s legacy, but the legacy
of all my ancestors.
The Inception
This is something I’ve been wanting to do for awhile. The
idea first came to me towards the end of last summer. A friend’s challenge gave
me the idea of studying some of those family biographies collecting dust in my
parents’ basement. I moved away shortly thereafter and lost access to those
dusty, old books, and I was too preoccupied with school to take the time to
look up information in local family history libraries. Although I had not
forgotten entirely about my project, it certainly sat on the backburner until April.
In April, the LDS church has a special General Conference where the prophet, apostles, and other leaders of the church address the church
and the world. They speak on many Gospel principles like faith in Christ,
charity, discipleship, or the Holy Spirit. Two of these talks brought my desire
to know my family history back to the forefront of my mind.
The Inspiration
The first was a talk by Elder Neil Andersen. He gave a
powerful analogy of a tree in a whirlwind. In order to withstand the whirlwinds
of life, we need stronger roots. One of the ways he mentioned that we can strengthen
our roots is to learn about our grandfathers and grandmothers who have gone
before us. He said, “As you learn about your ancestors, you will see patterns
of life, of marriage, of children: patterns of righteousness; and occasionally
patterns that you will want to avoid.”
I was also inspired by the words of Elder William Walker. He
taught that there is so much we can learn from the lives of our forefathers.
Our faith is strengthened when we learn about the dedication of our ancestors
who accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ and lived true to the faith. He
challenged each of us to learn the conversion stories in our family. He said, “The
more connected we feel to our righteous forefathers, the more likely we are to
make wise and righteous choices.” Basically, the more we learn about the
character, integrity, and moral fiber of our ancestors, the more our moral
integrity is strengthened.
Ancestors leave behind a rich heritage worth far more than a
strand of pearls. It’s ours if we just take the time to discover who they were.
And that’s exactly what I intend to do
this summer!
