Who Am I

Who am I? I believe that is a good question. I know who I am right now. I’m an Arizonan, a husband, a father, a sportsman, and an outdoor enthusiast among other things. I care deeply for other people and I do my best to act on that care, even if it is not always so easy. Part of who I am depends partly on those who came before me, in this way family history work is a way to rediscover who I am. Not that the behavior of those who came before me or those who are around me now necessarily effects my own behavior and optimistic view of the world but it is a story that I am a part of. I am here today because of many generations of lives and stories and I owe it to those who came before me to find out who they were. I have a strong moral standard for myself, and though it is nearly impossible to follow that code perfectly I know it makes a huge difference in my life and those around me when I do my best to follow it. A big part of those standards have to do with treating and caring for others better. It doesn’t matter who they are or where they come from. They have value, their lives and their salvation has value and though it is not easy I need to do my very best to keep them in mind when I am making decisions about my own life. If everyone cared for one another more, or at least thought deeper about how their decisions might affect another, they would make very different decisions. The world would be a much safer, grander place to live. I’m not saying everyone has to follow Jesus Christ or join the Church, the ideas that many people were raised with prevent them from accepting the gospel, but if people could just follow one commandment, love one another we would have a very different world. I believe this is something everyone needs to work on especially members of the Church. It has become far to easy for people of faith to judge people of other faith and people of no faith. I submit that you do not have to agree with someone’s lifestyle or path to care for them and that our judgment of others (not others actions but others) is a far greater sin 99% of the time than what they are doing in the first place. We also need to take care of our own salvation and lives. We can make sacrifices for others but we should never sacrifice our own lives or the joy of our lives for someone who would not do the same for us. We need to remember that each individual spirit, including ours is just as important as the next. I think the world is a great place. There are some who want to look at it as a grim place falling apart at the seams, but this is just not the case. People in general are striving to improve and though there is evil amongst us there is also greatness.

I have always been big on exercise and I have not changed. A healthy life is not only a commandment; it’s a good idea. We can’t help others if we ourselves are not fit to assist. Being a professional athlete is not the idea but a healthy life and even better, continual improvement if possible. Leading healthy lives will help us better feel the spirit and will keep us around longer to better the world. A healthy body is also very influential in keeping our minds sharp.

            We must always continue to learn. We will never learn everything there is to know; existence is so vast, our little world so vast, our family history so vast that there will never be a shortage of things to expand our minds. Sometimes it may seem we have reached the end of what we can learn and improve on but the end of one avenue will always be the beginning of another.

            I am very excited about the prospect of learning forever. Of living with my family forever in heaven but I also am taking as much advantage of my opportunities right now as I can. If I sit down and let life pass me by I will spend the rest of eternity wishing I had that unique period of time back.

Chris