Dickens re. Christ

In May, 1956, Mother gave me a classic little book, The Life of Our Lord,
"written for his [eight young] children during the years 1846 to 1849 by Charles Dickens", never to be published. "He set it down in his own hand, for their eyes -- and their eyes alone -- ... at about the time he was completing 'David Copperfield.' " Hours before his death, Dickens wrote a letter ending with this statement: "I have always striven in my writings to express 'veneration for the life and lessons of Our Saviour, because I feel it; and because I rewrote that history for my children -- every one of whom knew it ..."

"For eighty-five years the resulting manuscript was sacredly guarded as a precious family secret."  Just before Christmas of 1933, Dickens' youngest and last living child died.  Sir Henry wrote in his will: "I ... bequeath to my wife the original manuscript ... on the following trusts: 'Being his son, I have felt constrained to act upon my father's expressed desire that it should not be published, ... but if they [my wife and children] decide by a majority that it should be published, ...'  [They] 'assumed the right to permit its publication, and 'The Life of Our Lord' by Charles Dickens is thus given to the world.

THE PUBLISHERS."

-- foreword (pages 3 - 8); "copyright, 1934, by Simon and Schuster"

As a personal letter, Dickens started the book with "MY DEAR CHILDREN,

I am very anxious that you should know something about the History of Jesus Christ. For everybody ought to know about Him. No one ever lived who was so good, so kind, so gentle, and so sorry for all people who did wrong, or were in any way ill or miserable, as He was. And as He is now in Heaven, where we hope to go, and all to meet each other ..."

This is one of my favorite examples of Dickens' style of writing in his "letter" to the children:

On the Sabbath, "... when Our Saviour went into one of their [the Pharisees'] churches -- they were called synagogues -- and looked compassionately on a poor man who had his hand all withered and wasted away, these Pharisees said, 'Is it right to cure people on a Sunday?'  Our Saviour answered them by saying, 'If any of you had a sheep and it fell into a pit, would you not take it out, even though it happened on a Sunday? And how much better is a man than a sheep!'  Then He said to the poor man, 'Stretch out thine hand!'  And it was cured immediately, and was smooth and useful like the other.  So Jesus Christ told them, 'You may always do good, no matter what the day is.' " (page 38)

George W. in '60 WB

When a beloved, priceless ($0 on eBay) family heirloom, our 1960 World Book encyclopedia set, finally went to recycling (ground up, I guess) at the DI about a year ago, I was able to save three of my favorite volumes, including the "W-X-Y-Z".  For George Washington's birthday lunch break today, I loved opening the book and seeing the pictures --like visiting an old friend.  It brought back memories of my school days, when it was my main source of information for essays and research papers I typed on my big black 1930's-vintage Underwood.

"George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, on an estate in Westmoreland County on the banks of Popes Creek, about 30 miles southeast of Fredericksburg, Va. The plantation later became known as Wakefield. Washington's birthday is now determined by the Gregorian or 'New Style' calendar. ... His parents were Augustine Washington and Mary Ball Washington. ... George was the first child of Augustine's second marriage. Three other sons and two daughters soon followed. ... Young George had little schooling in classrooms. ... George was eleven years old when his father died. ... He had two tutors, or private teachers [who] taught young George the arts of war. ..."

"The people of the United States and many other lands call George Washington the 'Father of His Country.' He looked after his country the way a good father would look after his son. ..."

-- The World Book Encyclopedia, copyright 1960, U.S.A., by Field Enterprises Educational Corporation

It's interesting to compare the 1960 version with today's ubiquitous resource.

"George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799) was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. ..."   -- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington

I also recall attending the 1964 National Scout Jamboree in Valley Forge, PA.

" 'Strengthen America's Heritage' was the theme for this Jamboree."

-- stadriemblems.com/scouting/blog/?p=42

The jamboree custom patch for that year (pictured on the Stadri blog) featured the famous Commander in Chief kneeling in prayer.

God bless America!

Green Light

I want to get a light thing off my chest, if you get my drift -- something that gets on my nerves.  ("If you get something off your chest, you confess to something that has been troubling you.  ...  If you get someone's drift, you understand what they are trying to say.  ...  If something gets on your nerves, it annoys or irritates you."   -- usingenglish.com/reference/idioms

"The incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp ... makes light by heating a metal filament wire to a high temperature until it glows. ..."

[I couldn't find an initialism for incandescent lamp, so I made it up: IL.]

"... 22 inventors of [IL's] prior to Joseph Swan and Thomas Edison. ...

Edison began serious research into developing a practical [IL] in 1878. ... [One historian] has attributed Edison's success to the fact that he developed an entire, integrated system of electric lighting. ... [IL's] are gradually being replaced in many applications by other types of electric lights, such as fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps [CFL], ... and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). ... In the United States, federal law has scheduled [IL's] to be phased out by 2014, to be replaced with more energy-efficient light bulbs."

-- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incandescent_light_bulb

My ready-to-be-recycled GE CFL box states: "They are perfect for hard-to-reach areas or where lights stay on for long periods." (Right you are, GE!

I've heard different times advised, from 20 minutes to one hour.)  Yet some folks want to force us to use CFL's in easy-to-reach areas where lights stay on for only 5 seconds or 2 minutes (like a walk-in pantry, for example).  Maybe they don't know (as GE obviously does) that it takes a while (I like instant light) and an extra burst of energy to start up those babies.  Some people see the amazing equation 13w=60w and hit the campaign trail, maybe because it supports their bigger agenda.  I have been replacing many two-bit IL's with expensive CFL's so I can feel OK about leaving some lights on for hours, and I make fewer trips up ladders to replace some others.  By the way, my rechargeable LED flashlight works great for 5-second visits to the garage, where the developer failed to add a window for natural light.

It looks like the IL industry will soon be very sick, if not dead, because of decreasing demand and lost economies of scale -- unless government regulation kills it first.  I'm for freedom of choice, and I love to have options (I'm thinkin' cruise buffet!)  On Friday 4/22 I will share positive thoughts about the apparent obsession with "green" technology and lifestyle, and our personal participation (since the 1980's) in that global pursuit of long-term happiness.  May you be blessed with options, and a "green light" to move forward with your own wise choices.

Roots Review

"Why didn't I know about RootsTech sooner?" I asked myself after seeing a small poster on a cluttered bulletin board Sunday 2/6.  I had stopped in my tracks while walking a twin baby.  The conference was that week in the Salt Palace, attracting a large number of family-history exhibitors (including Dell, Microsoft and FamilySearch), gurus and genealogists.  It was a real-life social networking opportunity.  (Without using Facebook, I actually ran into some old friends I had not seen in years!)

Wearing running shoes at the free expo, I quickly gathered literature to read later (yeah, right -- like OCH).  It was fascinating; and I loved the free candy (energy food) and the round-trip FrontRunner train ride -- my first!
A few samples:

 "Do you share hidden talents with long-forgotten ancestors? / Why learn ...?"
-- ancestry.com (one of the largest, most impressive exhibits)
"What's Behind Your Brick Wall?" -- Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (in the Utah Genealogical Association)

"Nothing beats the original / Explore over 70 million historical documents"

-- footnote.com (and of course, their blog.footnote.com)

"Have You Been Digitized?" -- DMT Publishing (North Salt Lake, Utah) for preservation of priceless family histories and records; (several exhibitors recommended I visit DMT for eBook publishing, but they left early Friday.)

Only one exhibitor obviously didn't want to talk to me.  I won't mention the company name -- young hired help, apparently waiting "for a good time."

"Discover your family tree / It's fun, easy, and free." (poetic!)

-- FamilySearch ("... digital images from over 100 countries. Free research help online and in 4,600 local family history centers worldwide ..."

-- familysearch.org

"Premium Family History Software, Products and Services Since 1994" /

"Family History Products to Help Organize - Find - Share - Preserve" / "Easy to share on gift CD/DVD" (I learned to create and label hot spots on photos!)

-- HeritageCollector.com

The whole time, I thought of our close friend Hayle, who is the ultimate
"action man" when it comes to family history and follow-up work.  For decades he has tirelessly researched, and has published several hard-bound personal and family history books.  Hayle was an ordinance worker in his 80's , and later was teaching others how to research and compile information on 130 computers at the Ogden Regional Family History Center.  This avid mountain climber recently took a deserved break for a hip replacement.  Hayle has regularly taken his grandchildren to do temple work (that which they are able to do) with large numbers of names.  Their beloved ancestors have agency to accept or reject it; I have a feeling they've been eagerly waiting for a long time.

The Future

This quote from lds.org home page moved me to think about the future (under "Prophets and Apostles Speak Today" on the right side of home page):

“We cannot see the future with precision, but we can know what the Lord intends and what it will take [for] each of us to qualify personally to participate.” -- Henry B. Eyring

I will never forget hearing President Eyring's father speak on "Science and Religion" in the LDS West Institute chapel at his beloved University of Utah.  I can't remember the words (I know I ate them up), but the feeling was of admiration and awe.  Professor Eyring's "... views of science and religion were captured in this quote: 'Is there any conflict between science and religion? There is no conflict in the mind of God, but often there is conflict in the minds of men.' "  -- en.wikipedia.org

"... There seems no reasonable alternative to the conclusion that the Creator has methods of communication which travel by other means and at speeds unknown and perhaps unknowable to mortal man. Somehow, the universe is coordinated and regulated by influences which transcend the known laws of physics. Nor should this seem strange if one remembers that such marvels as radar, radio, and the telegraph were unimaginable a century and a half ago. What wonders can we hope to unravel in the endless eternity ahead? . . . Though our knowledge of the universe is always expanding, the fundamentals of the gospel endure unchanged." -- Henry Eyring (1901 - 1981)

-- Source: Science and Your Faith in God  -- Contributed by: Zaady

-- blog.gaiam.com/quotes/authors/henry-eyring

[Going back another generation:]  He took great comfort in the advice his father gave him when he left to study mining engineering at the University of Arizona in 1919: “In this Church you don’t have to believe anything that isn’t true, . . . Whatever is true is part of the gospel. ... [Henry] was not afraid of any scientific inquiry — it would only add to our understanding and eventual discovery of the truth.”  -- Henry Eyring, author  -- Reviewer: Ned C. Hill 

-- byustudies.byu.edu

So what surprising scientific discoveries lie in the future?  Will they make us question what we know to be true?

Sincere Repetitions

Most weeks I make a little progress in this year's reading of the New Testament; (obviously speed is not my priority here, but I promise to do better.)  Reviewing the Sermon on the Mount, I paused at one verse --
Matthew 6:7 "when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do ..."  Though I've read it many times, a different interpretation came to my mind --one which maybe never before occurred to me.

It's almost embarrassing to think of how frequently I have repeated many phrases since I started praying as a little boy.  My good friend recently told me his son Adam (age 8) frequently thanks Heavenly Father for what He will do for the family --in the future; (I wish my faith were that strong.)  Today I realize the value of sincere, humble, needed, meaningful repetitions in daily prayer, such as, "I love Thee."  As it relates to my thought about the language of prayer, I share an experience from my teenage years:

Many times throughout my adult life, I have recalled Bob Darger's simple, childlike manner of praying in church meetings.  It made a profound impression on me, and still does to this day. If his prayers included repetitions, I'm sure they were never vain.  Brother Darger was my Sunday School teacher when I was ~fourteen.  Bob gave us homework and a three-ring binder to keep it in; no one else ever did that.  He had a wonderful, talented family, and owned his own business with a one-man office in downtown SLC.  I think Bob lived a simple life, was always smiling, and probably never made an enemy.  He was truly a humble servant of God and his family.  I doubt that we rowdy guys appreciated his unique teaching style and sweet love for the Savior.  So teachers of teenagers, take heart -- 40 years later a student may look back and have an aha! moment because of you.

Thinking back on our quiet walk through the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, NY,
I believe a boy used simple language in his humble prayer.

Silver Lining

Jim Cramer ("Mad Money"show on CNBC) was unusually serious last night.  He's not always correct with his stock picks, but very entertaining.  The investment topic relating to the crisis in Egypt reminded me of this stormy view of our western frontier.  I love silver linings.

"Given that the media now blows everything out of proportion, and it seems like we get some terrifying new crisis every other week, you need to develop your own list ... [and] be ready to buy them when the futures take everything down, as they do ... as they did Friday morning."

"Finally, we really have to go completely counterintuitive, and we've got to ask, is it possible ... get this one ... that the event could actually have a positive economic outcome ... positive ...  I mean, could anything actually go right economically?  This is the hardest prism to adopt ... first of all, because we're not thinking economically, right?  We're a 24-hour news cycle that usually presumes everything is going to go wrong.  They're not thinking about money.  Believe me, I know this is really hard."

"It did get me thinking ... Hmm... what if everyone is too negative?  What could turn out right?  ... the situation there [in Egypt] looks a lot like, yes, Indonesia in 1965, after the year of living dangerously, where the government was overthrown.  It turned out to be a huge positive inflection point for fantastic economic growth in Indonesia."
"The bottom line:

If you know what you own ... or what you want to own ... you can watch the days of living dangerously and come out ahead, not behind, when these terrifying events begin.  There will be many more of these ... many, many more.  And we need to profit from them, not run from them."

-- Jim Cramer 1/31/11  -- madmoneyrecap.com