Do you find this to be true?

My mom posted this on Facebook a little while back. I feel like the prison system is full of people who need emotional healing. Traumatic childhoods affect the rest of your life. Ken Raleigh Sr.'s childhood and adolescence involved abuse. Abuse of alcohol, verbal and even physical abuse. And then the trauma of November 28, 1943. He obviously needed help - but I don't know if he had access to that kind of help or if it even existed in his earlier years. I believe we all have agency and will be held responsible for our actions, but that God will judge us perfectly and justly with every consideration and mercy. However, it makes me ache that being hurt can lead to hurting others - and children! Oh, I am so glad I believe in a God who loves the little children and will someday make up for every wrong done unto them. I know Jesus Christ is the ultimate source of love and healing and grateful for the hope we can have in his atonement as we wade through the heartache this life can bring.

Kenneth Raleigh Sr., likely between 13-16 years old.

The ancestors that cover my walls

After a long holiday hiatus, I'm back! December was crazy for me as I'm sure it was for many. The first big thing I did at the beginning of December was to present on family history to my ward. I spoke about cultivating the Spirit of Elijah in our families. The Spirit of Elijah can be defined as “a manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family.” (source) I feel this manifestation of the Spirit when I realize the significance of the lives of my ancestors - their influence and faith, their goodness, human failings and redemption - how similar we are in how we love, grieve, regret, and strive for God. I also feel it as I think of how throughout human history, families mattered. How today, our families give life meaning. When you are on your deathbed, your money and titles won't be there to hold your hand - your family and human relationships are what hopefully will comfort you on this side of the veil and the other. My sister Sam painted the watercolor pictured below: "Families are the Lord's workshop on earth" - a quote from Cheryl Esplin of the general Primary presidency of the church. It helps me feel the spirit of Elijah - that families are a divine part of this earthly experience:

Some creative ways we can cultivate the Spirit of Elijah in our families include some things I've shared here already and things I am excited to still share. This blog in and of itself cultivates the spirit of Elijah. In our homes we can cultivate this spirit by displaying photos and other visual art that represent our ancestors.

Did you know our ancestor Wealtha Bradford Hatch (fourth-great grandmother) was painted and featured in the Ensign magazine recently?

I'll talk more about her conversion story and that of other ancestors in a future post, but here's the article if you haven't read it.

I cut her picture right out of the magazine and put it in a 5x7 frame in my office. I love being reminded of her faith as I try to honor and remember her.

I also was very excited to put together an ancestor gallery wall when I moved into my new home this summer. I've been collecting some favorite family photos which I've found almost entirely through Familysearch. I printed them, gathered black frames from the dollar store and now have a corner in my home filled with these people.

One side is the Bennion side, the other is my side. Here are some of the Raleigh/Hatch family photos from my side of the wall:

Barbara and Grant's wedding

Kathy and her three oldest babies: Cicely, Ty, and Jason

Barbara Hatch Furse looking lovely with a featherduster(?) :)

Little boy Grant Saunders Furse

Spencer and Edith Hatch

Photos and stories are what most effectively turn my heart towards my ancestors. I feel like I truly get to know them and feel their influence by looking into their faces. I also love the opportunities to teach my children about them by displaying their images on my walls.