I'd like to share a few thoughts that have come to me in the past few days. About two weeks ago, I got an email from one of Iris' distant cousins, who lives in New York. He is a convert to the Church and has been very active in Family History and Temple work over the years. He had noticed on new.familysearch.org that we had done some of the temple work for one of his and Iris' distant cousins. He sent us a copy of his linage on this particular line which led back to a Gabriel Wheldon who was an early settler in colonial Massachusetts. This Gabriel Wheldon was listed as Iris' 8th Great- Grandfather, or at least that's the way I read it, in the program we often use for these purposes. It's called allymycousins.com. This cousin wanted to know how Iris tied into this Gabriel Wheldon who was their common ancestor so I sent him the linage as best as I understood it, showing an Isaac Wheldon as Iris' 7th Great Grandfather, and assuming that he was the son of said Gabriel Wheldon. There has been a lot of research done, literally over hundreds of years, on this particular family. The next day, I got another email from Iris' New York cousin. He questioned what I had sent to him, stating that Gabriel Wheldon had no son by the name of Isaac and so there was a sort of disconnect, which kind of baffled me. We have records of the Wheldons, at least some of them, leaving New England after the Revolutionary War and moving south, first to Delaware, then the Carolinas, and eventually to Georgia. This cousin apologized for, in his words, "throwing a monkey wrench" into our research on this particular line. I thought about it a great deal and even took my problem to the Temple a couple of times. After a good deal of thought and prayer and further research, I discovered that Gabriel Weldon was Iris' 9th Great Grandfather, rather than the 8th. He was actually the father of a John Wheldon, and thus Iris' 8th Great Grandfather. He had a son named Issac Wheldon who is Iris' 7th Great Grandfather. I know a lot of this is of little interest to most of you. The afore detailed scenario is not the real purpose of me writing this on this blog. As you read further, I think you will see how wondrous things take place when we seek the Spirit and work to solve the issues we face. Often, what appears at first glance to be a mistake is probably the providential hand of a loving Father in Heaven, placing opportunities in our path. The duty and privilege to act on these special promptings is always most rewarding as we follow the Spirit gentle nudging.
According to the dictionary the phrase "throwing a monkey wrench into something" means to cause it to fail. Well, not so quick. I'm convinced that all things have their purpose. Our challenge is to take what ever "comes down the pipe" and make the most of it. We all have our bad days, trials, and tragedies to one degree or another. Elder Wirthlin gave a conference talk once called "Come What May and Love It." This is not always easy to do, but it is good advice for everyone. The Prophet Joseph in the Liberty Jail questioned why he and the Saints had to suffer so. He was told that "... all these things shall give thee experience and work together for thy good." That is absolutely true for all of us, but we have our agency to decide. Will the circumstances or incidents we face become monkey wrenches, dooming us to failure? Will we allow stumbling blocks to impede our progress and happiness, or will we turn them into stepping stones leading us and others across troubled waters. Or even better, will we be bridge builders who take the time and energy to organize every needful thing and build bridges which lead us and others across troubled water or terrain toward light and safety?
As I lay in bed the other night, I was restless and sleep did not come easy. I was tired enough to sleep, but was of troubled mind. As I tried to sleep these words kept coming to my mind. Monkey Wrench, Stumbling Block, Stepping Stone, Bridge. Eventually, I picked up our little Kindle and opened new.familysearch. org. I started with Iris' lost, but newly found, 8th Great Grandfather, John Wheldon. I followed his line and those of his spouse and children The sleepiness left my eyes and mind and I soon became engrossed in a marvelous experience. I felt the presence of the departed in my room and in my mind. The names of family members needing temple ordinances began to pop up at almost every move of my little stylus pen. The time flew, the names of deceased ancestors and their families came in a steady stream. By the time I arose for the day I had reserved the names of nearly 1,000 of Iris' deceased relatives. I envisioned these families, parents, children, grandparents etc. as they experienced the sorrows and joys of this life together. I also felt the joy they felt as their names and the names of family members were put on my reserved list to be shared with temple patrons around the world, where they will, by proxy, have the privilege of making sacred covenants necessary for salvation and for eternal family relationships. These covenants have brought the greatest joy to me, and I know they will do the same for anyone who will willingly make and keep them.
We can lay stepping stones across the troubled places in our lives allowing us and others who come this way to pass by more easily and safely.
We can allow stumbling blocks to cause us to fall and be injured as we make our way along life's path, thus causing us to become discouraged and to lose focus on the tings that really matter.
We can use our God-given abilities to stop and construct a bridge leading across the troubled places of our lives to be used by ourselves as well as untold others who come along the way.
We can even organize society and use our combined resources to build bridges, both literally and figuratively, which will lead us toward greater light and growth as well as greater joy together with our families and the families of others who also seek the light and follow the way.
We must learn to see opportunity even in our setbacks and trials. The promises are sure. The time frame is not so certain, hence the need for continued faith and the need to endure to the end, or at least until the morning.
