My Great-Grandmother's Pearls

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!