Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Nephi 1:17

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Nephi 1:17

"But I shall make an account of my proceedings in my days. Behold, I make an abridgment of the record of my father, upon plates which I have made with mine own hands; wherefore, after I have abridged the record of my father then will I make an account of mine own life."

I cannot tell you how many times I have started this first chapter of the Book of Mormon in my lifetime. Many times I would start reading and then stop only to begin anew. Thankfully that bad habit is now gone. But over my lifetime I think I have almost memorized this first chapter of the book.

I love it when new thoughts jump out to you and today this verse did. I realized that Nephi was first abridging the record of his father before writing his own record. I pondered on what the benefit of doing that would be. Immediately I knew it had a reference to my own family history work.

I need to capture the records of my parents, preferably while they were still alive. (Sadly, my mother is now deceased.) There are always questions you wished you asked someone before they passed. When a parent is deceased all the more reason for the child to write it. The grandchildren of a person would not have the memories that their child has. If the story of the grandparents is not recorded the future generations might never come to know them at all. The further away you are in generations from a person the more that becomes lost. The living knowledge of a person is lost in only three short generations.

I also thought of how much I need a proof-reader of my writings. As Nephi abridged his fathers records I'm sure there were things he could add to or clarify. If I had all my journals laid out to my children they might be sorely perplexed on how to make a history out of it. There would be a lot of work to bring it altogether in an understandable way. 

Once Nephi completes the abridgment of his father's records he then works on his own. I need to take some lessons from this. I need to do a better job at scanning my mother's journals and transcribing them. I  have my father's history I need to go over and make sure are complete. How will I find the hours in the day to do this? Even just 10 minutes a day would account for something. I think if I make this effort the Lord will bless the hours in my day and help me accomplish all that I need to do. I must move forward in faith.

Day 180 Tami Fitzgerald Harris