Two videos

I had to share these two. The first video is just a fun glimpse of every day life in the Franklin house - bup....GOOO - and the second is a video the kids and I made together one morning (thanks to Grandma and Grandpa's GeoTrax).

Sidney Alvarus Hanks

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For the first time this last Memorial Day I actually did what we are supposed to do on Memorial Day - I took some time to remember those who have gone before and made my life as awesome and lucky as it is. Mom Fisher wanted to go to see her parent's resting place as well as her husband's parent's resting place. Since both were conveniently located near SLC we were able to hit both in a relatively short time.

Anyway, we were in the Salt Lake City Cemetery (where several prominent church members are buried) and I felt inspired to call Mom and then Grandma to find out if we had any relatives buried there. Sure enough a Mr. Sidney Alvarus Hanks and his wife are buried there. And this is their story:

Sidney is Ephraim K's brother. There were 3 Hanks brothers who joined the church, Ephraim and (anyone know the name of the other brother) were introduced to the church by Sidney Alvarus. Anyway, Knowlton(?) was called to go on a mission to the Canary Islands but he passed away during the sea voyage to get there. SO, Sidney chose to serve in his brother's place. He went to serve and did not come home until he had been released (anyone know how long?) He passed away wrangling his cattle when a snow storm came up. Ephraim found him the next spring after the thaw which I'm sure was pleasant.

All in all, a pretty cool story - anyone care to correct my facts. I'm sure they're shoddy at best and I'm afraid I might reveal my rusty memory of Scouting for the Mormons and The Tempered Wind

Quick thought on Salvation and the Temple

Yesterday I was reading in The Holy Temple by Talmadge and I came across a quote that struck me in a way I had never thought of before. In the Chapter called "The Necessity of Obedience" it reads

"While professing belief in the possibility of a universal salvation, the Church affirms that salvation is assured only on condition of individual compliance with the requirements established by the Redeemer, without whose atoning sacrifice none could be saved."

So, in regular human speak (that's what's so cool about Talmadge, we get to read educated speak) I get this:

'We recognize that everyone COULD by saved [by saved we mean exalted/Celestial kingdom] but the church teaches us that in order to be saved we need to keep the commandments that Christ gave us. That same Christ who, incidentally, makes it so we can even be saved in the first place.'

For some reason I started thinking about the recent exhibition of the temple ceremony on HBO (I had temple on the brain since that's the focus of the book) and the people who say you can be saved just by accepting Christ, your actions should be true to who you are (even if they are in direct violation of the commandments.) And, now I'll break those apart.

First, in order to be saved we must keep the commandments - we believe that in order to recieve the knowledge provided in the temple one must also keep the commandments. Following that similarity, presenting the ceremony publicly is like saying salvation should not require obedience either since it negates the requirements of obedience and righteousness to recieve them. But, then again, that statement would be too surprising (see next paragraph). Unfortunately, our world is chocked full of this mentality. Because so much knowledge has become public, we feel we should have the right to know everything on OUR OWN TERMS - all I need is the desire to know about it. Talmadge's statement screamed at me that this simply is not true. Some knowledge must be learned through righteousness and obedience. Hence, the Savior taught in parables - only those with "ears to hear" could hear the deeper meanings. Fortunately, the temple ceremony is the same way. The phrase pearls before swine comes to mind.

Second, if Jesus facilitated our salvation. I mean, he atoned for our sins and rose from the grave - what makes us think that we don't have to do anything in return. But, 'in return' isn't really a good definition of it since it is only a win win action for us to keep the commandments. Win because it improves our own life, and win because it leads to salvation. The concept that we don't have to keep the commandments and God will just 'make everything okay' on the other side is ludicrous and, to a certain degree, contradictory to the concept of an atonement. Then why do so many of us feel this way - that God loves everyone so he will save everyone? It is true that Christ loves us all, no matter what - there is much comfort and peace in that. But "salvation is assured only on condition of individual compliance with the requirements established by the Redeemer, without whose atoning sacrifice none could be saved."

Pieces

This is a poem that I recently submitted to a local writing contest. It garnered second place which means it (along with the rough draft of my book (I'm still going to send that to you mom)) will be published and available at our local library. Anyway, I thought I'd share :)
Pieces

I am pieces of people I've known.
Stitched experience carefully sewn
And a bit of me is with them too,
not taken, but grafted into who
I have touched like they touched me;
Making of each soul a tapestry.

Though millions of years shall pass away
each patch is still with me e'en today.
Though faded and coarse, still part of me
in a quilted landscape of mem'ry.
Proud of my patches, excepting few
I have yellows, reds, even some blues.

I'm pieces of people I've known
stitched experience carefully sewn
the stuffing's my own
and God gave me bones
From you I choose what part I will use
I'm pieces of people I've known.

Art

Art is meant to reflect our attempt to capture the divine. Often I have found that art, good art, that is, springs from confusion, questioning, and the artist's attempt to answer the basic Gospel questions of who we are, why we are here, and where we are going. 'Search for truth' infuses the artist's work with passion and feeling. Of course, the obvious problem for a man of faith is this: I know the answers to these questions, my 'search for truth' is minute within the light of the Gospel and the source of answers is developed through my relationship with my Heavenly Father, not my work. SO, back the the thesis statement - the way for a man of faith who is at peace with his surroundings to still find that passion and feeling in his work is a burning desire to not only appreciate the works of God but to reach out in earnest effort to imitate them. To recreate the heavens and the mysteries of the earth. We may know the answers to the 3 big questions but we don't know what they look like, sound like, FEEL like! I want my art to explore those worlds that are just beyond our reach knowing that I can never truly recreate their beauties, but, if for only a moment, I can touch them then I have accomplished what art is truly supposed to do - elevate us beyond the mortal.

A Remarkable Life

What is it that makes a life remarkable?

I was just listening to an excellent musical compilation called The Ghosts of Gardener Village and one of the lyrics goes "the tales I tell are meaningless if there's not a soul around." I began to think - what is it that makes us pass on the tales of our predecessors? And, how do we do it in a way that will continue past our children? For example, why do all Bassetts know the stories about Ephraim K. Hanks but very few even know who Archibald McPhail is? Is it because other people besides our family tell the stories of Ephraim K. Hanks or made a painting of him...or was he just that remarkable of a man?

I think there is no doubt that he was an incredible man - but somehow his stories have lived on. Why? Sure, his life had some awesome stories - like saving the Martin and Willey handcart companies with a miraculously lost buffalo or shaving his whole face upon request from Brigham Young. But, I would guess most people have at least a few such amazing tales from their lives. So, the question is what kind of stories get passed on and how do we record them? The other day I told the story about Dad feeding an Australian dog a kangaroo steak laced with M80. I also told the story of Aunt Jann almost killing off my mother (accidentally on purpose) when they were kids. These are some great stories about MY family. But, will these stories make it past me? Or will they end with my telling of them?

How do we immortalize the amazing stories of our ancestors so that our kids don’t just know where to find them but they actually know them? By telling them more often? By writing them in a book? As the last song on the Ghosts of Gardener Village goes “Don’t let them be forgotten. Don’t let their memories fade away. If we let them be forgotten we’re denying their tomorrows and our yesterdays.”