tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114749242024-03-13T03:12:34.523-07:00Upstream from the HerdLife outside the boxKinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.comBlogger138125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-40301748709799219062016-08-13T17:18:00.004-07:002016-08-13T17:18:48.087-07:00Back to Adam
This is a presentation I did last year.
The folks at the Ancient Historical Research Foundation asked me to fill in for a speaker who cancelled unexpectedly. I said, "Sure!"
There were only six days to get my presentation ready.
Not quite enough time to put on finishing touches.
So, here is a recording of my talk, warts and all:
Genealogy Back to Adam
Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-6271130201412272352016-07-19T22:26:00.002-07:002016-07-19T22:35:35.130-07:00The StoryIt is part of the fabric of my family history:
Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 NY
Willett´s Regiment of Levies, 1781-1783
Lieutenant James Albert Guinall was born probably about 1744. He served as 2nd Lieutenant in the 7th Company of the Tryon County Militia and. He was among the heroes, who under the brave Brigadier General Nicholas Herkimer, fell during the Battle at Oriskany. He diedKinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-21159629153854181122014-10-04T11:56:00.000-07:002014-10-04T12:59:36.113-07:00Plain and PreciousAlong with most kids who grew up as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I memorized the Articles of Faith as a child. Do I still remember them all? Not completely.
Oh, with a little prompting I can recite several.
Do them in order? Not without a cheat sheet.
Still, the principles Joseph enumerated when he originally wrote them in that letter stick with me. Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-88468057731325501212014-03-24T22:36:00.001-07:002014-03-24T22:37:41.325-07:00TransitionsMoments turn into minutes, minutes into hours and suddenly over a year has passed by. With the passage of time come new relationships. Children having children.
Forgotten challenges.
Reminders of tasks once learned, then abandoned. Unpracticed abilities called on after years of neglect.
Bouncing.
Burping.
Tickling.
Ok. Well, I haven't really forgotten how to tickle my grandkids...
At the Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-69546591381239989732013-02-02T13:09:00.000-08:002013-02-02T13:26:10.609-08:00RookieI haven't felt this way since those first few batches of fudge, caramel and brittles; working through those first million exposures at the North Carolina State Archives; taking that first call from a disgruntled guest.
Uneasy.
Inept.
Unsure.
They've started a new practice in home building. Textured walls. Yeah, I've been aware of the textured ceiling variations for decades. I always figured Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-60038253052045119542012-02-25T08:30:00.000-08:002012-02-25T08:39:31.250-08:00Black on BlackThey wouldn't accept a check to pay for gas yesterday at a station that I'd patronized for years and years. I tossed her wallet on the front seat and pulled out my credit card.
Once home, we unloaded the clean laundry and a large box from the back of the Jimmy, struggling awkwardly with our loads upstairs.
We had a meeting to get to at 7 pm, but she had time to bathe and freshen up, after two Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-45255739501979310262012-02-03T22:22:00.000-08:002016-07-19T23:01:12.940-07:00AwkwardAn odd word: Odd sounding, odd looking, odd spelling.
Looking just at "wkw", it reminds me of a bird with outstretched wings: a chicken running noisily around, squawking about the lack of bird feed, or an on-coming fox. The word even sounds like something a bird would say.
Thursday morning I was reminded of that strange word. We had a special project to do, and I'd been asked to bring a Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-7549747397716573762012-01-22T17:35:00.001-08:002012-01-22T17:43:03.264-08:00First Batch
Chocolate mint. Her Fav.
Not bad for my first attempt using a new process.Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-73132471541218403182012-01-22T15:54:00.000-08:002012-01-22T16:04:50.222-08:00Sunday AfternoonAs I was standing in the kitchen finishing the dishes just now, a thought came to mind. Perhaps it was that I was cleaning a paint scraper, getting ready to make a batch of fudge. Anyway for some reason my mind was taken on a trip back through time to a similar quiet summer Sunday afternoon about 26 years ago.
That day, I was less efficient than today. I decided to take a quick nap after lunch, Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-8942849467880606472012-01-13T10:48:00.000-08:002012-01-13T11:13:05.688-08:00No CameraIt's been a beautiful, crisp morning. As I was on my regular break, approaching the park at the edge of the Jordan River, I heard some strange bird calls. I noticed a large bird flying across the park from south to north, but the sounds didn't seem to be coming from it. I saw large clumps in a couple trees. I figured they were nesting remnants.
When I walked across the entrance of the park, I Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-5019961621837866852012-01-04T22:22:00.000-08:002012-01-04T22:27:27.710-08:00Small TalkEver since I've been young, I can talk on the phone.
No problem.
Need to call a cab? Need to call the doctor? No problem.
Call a possible cousin out of the blue to ask personal questions about their family? No problem.
So what's my problem?
I don't do small talk.
This evening I told her I would tell her a story.
Maybe a story about one of my gifts. Everybody has gifts. We'd just been Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-41720706929646340142011-12-31T23:40:00.000-08:002013-02-02T13:09:49.537-08:00Return StrongThe fireworks fired. The odd half-moon shone down like a large light bulb, then quickly hid behind misty clouds. Folks in the complex hollered. Some lady screamed a bit.
My bemused thoughts considered the celebration of time passing: an arbitrary point that has been reset and recalibrated throughout recorded history; an excuse for a party; a time for loving kisses; a moment to consider the past Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-9230713468654706962011-10-17T12:46:00.000-07:002011-10-17T13:43:18.809-07:00MovementIt's only money.
The words reverberate in my head as the repair shop technician lists the possibilities, the least of which is a 5-700 dollar fix, the most of which is replacing the engine or buying another means of transportation.
Only Money!
At best, the lubricant that smooths our interaction in a complex society. At worst, desire for more than enough is the root of ALL evil. All is pretty Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-33616534398674462622011-09-25T12:38:00.000-07:002011-09-25T12:41:13.582-07:00The Nail of the TentStories from the life of Abraham, our father:
Jasher 21:22-48
And in some time after, Abraham said to Sarah his wife, I will go and see my son Ishmael,
for I have a desire to see him, for I have not seen him for a long time.
And Abraham rode upon one of his camels to the wilderness to seek his son Ishmael, for
he heard that he was dwelling in a tent in the wilderness with all belonging to him.Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-45483773039856377742011-09-18T17:16:00.000-07:002016-03-06T07:18:12.998-08:00Joseph in EgyptFor the past several months my daughter has worked on the tech crew for a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. For some reason, the church-goers whom she works with are rather unfamiliar with the story of Joseph ben Israel. They regularly expressed surprise when she would tell them "more of the story". One co-worker, a student of history and member of the church my daughterKinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-64921835503896310192011-06-05T11:35:00.000-07:002011-06-05T12:05:47.236-07:00CrowsAs I was putting on my suit coat to leave for church this morning, loud, obnoxious crow calls joined the peaceful chirping of the small birds around the apartment complex.I bid her farewell (she was glad to see me go, too - I'd interrupted her genealogical train of thought...), walked down the stairs and onto the front walk. Two huge crows swept over my shoulder about 15 feet up. They flew ahead,Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-42135535793314730382011-03-28T21:35:00.000-07:002011-03-28T22:45:51.614-07:00Variant ReadingsAs I neared the end of the Book of Mormon, I took things slower than normal this time. I usually zoom through Moroni's scrapbook, rushing through the officially recorded ordinances, the letters and his challenge, most often finishing the whole book in an hour or less, reading time.This time, I paused between chapters. Sometimes for a day or more before going on. I savored the change in tone Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-22140738479168392182011-01-08T09:43:00.000-08:002011-03-28T21:35:48.649-07:00Baker StreetWe flew to Switzerland on July 4th. We saw fireworks over Boston far below as we started across the ocean.After a whirlwind meeting with the Mission President, we were put to bed. Upon awakening we were taken to the Haupt Bahnhof in Zurich. I'm sure there were showers and meals in there somewhere...Mind in the remains of a jet-lag induced fog, I was put on a train that would eventually take me Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-4150926118968549272010-04-27T09:43:00.000-07:002010-04-27T11:03:11.810-07:00I amMore than a sum of my experiences, which include:SonBrotherFriendBoy ScoutDeaconReaderStudentTeacherPriestMusicianCashierDECA State WinnerHigh School graduateElderBowlerSwiss MissionaryProjectionistProfessional MusicianHusbandFatherFudge MakerUniversity GraduateFather againBusiness OwnerAssistant Scout MasterChamber of Commerce MemberBook SellerSubstitute TeacherFamily HistorianFinancial Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-68840016895281438842010-03-04T16:24:00.000-08:002010-03-04T16:43:40.188-08:00Right AgainAs we talked together this morning, enjoying lazy luxury (that got me to work 8 minutes late), I chose to relate a consideration that I'd had yesterday on the way home from work. In an attempt not to lay out all the tracks that train had driven on, I stated something like, "The denomination of the Christians who survive the coming calamities and destruction won't really matter."She questioned my Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-26204984839254717332010-03-01T18:05:00.000-08:002010-03-01T20:24:36.772-08:00Karma ExplainedIn Alma the younger's extended discussion with his son Corianton, Alma defines the term restoration:the meaning of the word restoration, is to bring back again evil for evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish; good for that which is good; righteous for that which is righteous; just for that which is just; merciful for that which is merciful;Therefore, my son, see that you are Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-46595358431017196072010-02-09T15:15:00.000-08:002010-03-01T20:17:26.588-08:00ChoicesThis time around I am reading a 1905 edition of the Book of Mormon printed in Chicago on the press of Henry C. Etten & Co. for the Northern States Mission.Since I just finished reading a facsimile of the 1830 edition, I didn't want to read that version again, even though I have a different version to go through: Joseph Begins His Work, vol 1. published by Wilford Wood. Wood's version should Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-55921525595047018842010-02-08T15:53:00.000-08:002010-03-01T20:22:23.229-08:00"for thy seed shall not utterly be destroyed"Early on in the history of the Church, it became custom to label the indigenous peoples of the American continents as Lamanites. After all, they were the remaining descendants of Lehi and his sons.We read that all of the Nephites were hunted and killed. That is Moroni's testimony at the end of the book. Nephi, near the beginning of the book has a powerful vision, in which he sees the destruction Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-7577966621624960162010-02-06T23:50:00.000-08:002010-02-07T01:38:02.740-08:00MoroniToo easily the layers of the day's activities stack on top of the layers of previous day's thoughts. Like stacking old overhead acetate sheets atop each other, a stack of about seven or so create an opaque barrier, so it is with my memories. By the end of a week, I can't remember what came the week before.For that reason I like to write things down. So I'll continue using this Internet medium Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474924.post-17958496669351215242010-02-06T01:00:00.000-08:002010-02-07T01:47:14.601-08:00AssignmentI'd been going along at a steady pace, minding my own business.Many years ago I set myself a VERY informal goal: read the Book of Mormon "once a journal".That is, in the time it took me to fill a journal, I would read the Book of Mormon.It was a good plan, too. It worked out to about once or twice through the Book of Mormon during a year.Then we moved and I was no longer commuting on the bus, so Kinseekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213173357384469532noreply@blogger.com0