Things I hope you will teach my grandchildren

Some of the conference talks today alluded to the fact that one of the reasons the early church members could not establish Zion in Jackson County was that they were not united and could not live the law of consecration. I think that is one of the major stumbling blocks in the Church today. I will call it elitism, the attitude that one is somehow better than others, among the elite. There are various flavors of elitism – intellectual elitism, social elitism, financial elitism, fashion elitism, racial elitism, gender elitism, born-in-the-church vs. convert elitism, ancestry elitism, national elitism, and on and on. This is a difficult issue for me and I suspect many others. I find myself criticizing others for various traits that they have that I think are odd, annoying or unpleasant instead of recognizing that they are just people trying to do the best they can with what life has dealt them. We do not know what other people have to deal with. Until we can learn to truly have charity for others and adopt an attitude of caring and helping rather than criticizing and belittling, we will not be able to develop the type of unity that is necessary for a Zion society.

The times that we know about in the scriptures when a Zion society was achieved have been possible because the people achieved a unity and equality that extended to all people and all aspects of their lives. “And the Lord called his people ZION, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.” (Pearl of Great Price | Moses 7:18).

“And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people. And there were no envyings, nor strifes, . . . . .neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of –ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God. (Book of Mormon | 4 Nephi 1:15 - 17)

New Thread

I have decided to start a new thread that I will call "Things I hope you will teach my grandchildren". I have delayed doing this because I don't want to sound too preachy or too heavy but today's conference talks tipped me over the edge. I will post on an irregular basis my thoughts that I feel are worthwhile passing on to future generations. You can ignore them if you please.

Dad and Mom

These are not very good pictures but they are among the few that I have of dad and mom when they were young.

Veda and her Father

This is a picture of my grandmother Veda Bringhurst Wilkinson in her later years, as I remember her, and her father William Augustus Bringhurst.

Michael Ballam

Last weekend we attended a benefit concert by Michael Ballam on Friday night and a Fireside by him on Sunday night. I know our children are not Michael Ballam fans but maybe some of the other readers will be interested.

This is a picture at one of his son's weddings.

On Friday night it was a benefit for the Opera by Children program that he is involved in and some local people are trying to get going in the schools here. It was a rather intimate setting at the home of our Stake President with about 25-35 people. They had food before and a meet and greet afterward. He mostly told of how he wanted to be an opera singer when he was a child and how he became one, interspersed with some of his favorite show tunes and why he liked them.

On Sunday night the highlight for me was the story he told about an old Jewish Rabi he met while doing a study abroad in Israel. He was one of the few who still know how to chant the Torah the way it used to be done. The Torah was never read but sung and the older versions have the musical accompaniment written along with the text. He sang a couple of the opening lines for us and said that on the occasion mentioned in the scriptures when Jesus read from the scriptures it was not actually reading but singing. He said that this old Rabi once visited the US and chanted some of the Torah in a meeting out in the west somewhere near a Navajo Indian reservation. There were some Navajos present who immediately recognized the tune and got very excited. They asked him where he got that music. It was the same tune as that handed down through their culture for centuries.

He also told the story of how he was approached by President Hinckley, then an apostle, about his role in the temple film. He was told he would have to take 6 months off to do it and could not tell anyone, even his wife, what he was doing. At the end he bore his testimony including his testimony of how real Satan is strengthed by his experience playing that role.

Veda and Friends

Since I didn't post a picture last week, I'll put another one in this week. This my grandmother Veda Bringhurst and two of her friends Belle Hammond and Anna Laura Klienman (L to R). Don't Know what ages but appears to be late teens to early 20s.

Sisters

All of these are daughters of W.A. Bringhurst listed from left to right:
Anna Augusta Bringhurst Naegle daughter of Susan A.S. Bringhurst 2nd wife
Lara Selinda Bringhurst daughter of Susan A.S. Bringhurst
Elleanor (Ella) Bringhurst daughter of Susan A.S. Bringhurst
Veda (with sore eyes) Bringhurst daughter of Mary J.S. Bringhurst 3rd wife
Vera (center) Bringhurst, daughter of Mary J.S. Bringhurst
Mary Eleanor (Nellie) Bringhurst daughter of Selinda D.P. Bringhurst, 1st wife

It appears to have been a strain to hold still long enough for the picture to be taken. I'm told that is why people are seldom smiling in these old pictures. They didn't have fast film in those days.