Seeking Authentic Voice

A reflection on Isaiah 60:1-6 and Matthew 2:1-12 Over the Christmas break I found myself doing some research on the genealogy of my family. It was easy research because several family members have done extensive work on each of my grandparents and posted them on public sites through Ancestry dot com. One person, some distant relative I do not know, has traced my paternal grandfather’s mother’s family, back to the early kings and queens of Scotland. Apparently I am related to William, known as the Lion King of Scotland, who reigned in the 13th century as well as all the kings of Scotland back to Kenneth in the 9th century, and his family members back to the first century.  As someone who has spent most of my life outside of Utah and far from my family I value this research and the way it sparks my imagination.  I often wonder about my family members who left England and Scotland, traveling on rickety ships over turbulent waters, to come to this country. Whether it ...

Sophia over at RevGals offers this Family Edition for the Friday Five Meme: 1. Do you have any interest in geneaology? I have roots in the Mormon Church with family members who have done geneology on parts of my family. I am lucky to have copies of those records and find them fascinating. Sadly they only go back to the early 1800's with the early round of Mormon pioneers settling Utah and Idaho. Along with those settlers are stories of a pregnant great grandmother (5 generations back) who left England with her two toddlers and travelled to Utah while her husband stayed behind to earn money. The grandfather/husband later joined the family then took an additional wife or two and this grandmother divorced him. So, yes, I also have polygamists on my family tree. Then there's the story of another great grandfather who was a missionary to American Indians and wrote an English/Indian (not sure what tribes) dictionary. (Wish I had that. apparently they aren't very common). There a...