Indexing and Who Do You Think You Are?

My cute roommate Tiffany is over Familysearch indexing for our ward. Familysearch gathers, preserves, and shares geneological records worldwide. Indexing is done by volunteers who type in the data from original handritten records. Anyone can do it. Just go here to get started, or talk to the indexing person in your ward. It is really fun, and a great way to do service- from your own home, anytime. Warning: this can be addicting. Our ward is currently having a friendly competition with another single's ward, which make it even more fun. Seriously though, you really start to feel a connection to these people(the spirit of Elijah, perhaps?) I often start to wonder about their lives- why they immigrated to America, and how things turned out for them here, what happened to this young widow's husband, and how did she manage? I wonder if someday I will get to meet them, and share stories. And sometimes I think of my own future family and the legacy I might leave for them.

Tiffany and I always pull out our laptops and index while watching our favorite shows. One of my favs to watch while indexing is Who Do You Think You Are? The show is a documentary that follows a different celebrity each week as they trace their family tree. Some of the stories are pretty amazing. You can go here to watch episodes online.

A Tale of Two Cities

Today I saw a production of Tale of Two Cities at the Hale Center Theater in West Valley. I have been able to attend several plays at the Hale Theater, including Scarlett Pimpernel, Fiddler on the Roof, and Christmas Carol, and have thoroughly enjoyed each one.

Dicken's Two Cities is a powerful story of love and redemption, set during the horrors of the French Revolution and the terrible oppression that led to it. The story illustrates the choice each of us faces when meeting with tragedy- to harden our hearts and withdraw into darkness, or to keep our hearts soft and draw closer to God and others. I couldn't stop the tears during the final scenes, and when we stood for the ovation at the end, I felt like we were cheering for the all of the good in every one. Carton thought of himself of as nothing but a worthless drunk, but he became a saint and a savior, and the power is in each of us.

The Hale Theater is known for the technicality of its productions. We were impressed by the details and the seemless way in which they moved from scene to scene. The music was at times touchingly sweet, as they prayed for the innocence of a little girl, and at times haunting and powerful, in the case of Madame DeFarge.

If you can, I would highly recommend seeing the production. If not, read the book, even if you already have.