Aggregating families into multi-generational organizations may not seem very exciting to some but a closer look will ignite the interest of most. A walk down any high school hall will convince even the hardened skeptic that today’s youth face many challenges that must be added to the list of difficulties parents and grandparents faced in past decades. Yet those problems still fit into the same three categories as the old problems and challenges: No control problems, direct control problems, and indirect control problems. Each is solvable and experience and understanding simplify the process and turn them into opportunities for growth and strength. Here is where multi-generational experience can help support the challenged family.
Wisdom comes with age. Though age does not guarantee wisdom, you cannot get wisdom without it. Most of us, however, and especially youth do not want to be told what to do even if the teller is loaded with wisdom. One scholar reminded well meaning advice givers that wisdom is caught not taught. He expressed that we teach by contagion not by compulsion. In other words we catch wisdom when it is modeled by those we care about, who have it. We can create opportunities where wisdom can be imparted by first building relationships of trust and affection between grandparents, parents, and youth engaged in pleasant, mutually beneficial work or fun activities. Then opportunities to teach will come naturally where wisdom will flow through the love built over time and togetherness.
Grandfather Organizations
Few have the time and energy to organize activities that will attract participation and enjoyment across generational lines. If grandparents and parents, armed with desire and understanding could be given pre-planned and tested reunion agendas, grandfather level reunions would become regular and powerful tools in strengthening the family and allowing the sharing of trans-generational values. Especially if they were held frequently and in locations that lent themselves naturally to participation and variety such as vacation spots, (beach, canyon, park, etc)
Key Ancestor Organizations
These desiring mentors could catch and receive the ideas and plans by grouping together in key ancestor reunions held less frequently-perhaps every 2-3 years- where families would be attracted by meeting to honor a key ancestor in a setting that allowed for the @f0feeling of place@f1 history as well as enjoyment, sharing, etc.
Umbrella Organization
These key ancestor organizations might then profit by their common link to an umbrella organization. They would represent an older, significant or even famous ancestor who embodied strong high leverage values that could then be imparted in a reunion setting where the @f2feeling of place@f3-history was especially strong. It would lend itself to @f4catching the vision@f5 as well as learning the skills needed for running functionally meaningful key-ancestor as well as grandfather family organizations.
As an umbrella organization, we, in the Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Foundation, would love to nurture this kind of sharing through our newsletters, reunions, and key ancestor coordination committee. Currently the family reunion is under the direction and control of the Joseph Smith Sr. Reunion Association directed by Buddy Youngreen. The Foundation staff is working to contribute ideas and person-power so Buddy can produce the best reunion possible. We therefore encourage all to support the current Joseph Smith Sr. family reunions as well as the many key ancestor organizations. We hope that all will be in Nauvoo this August as the reunion gathers once again.
“Our ultimate intent is to get the spirit of our ancestors in to the hearts of our current generation. We need to know our ancestors, who they were and what they did, so we can accentuate their virtues and imitate them–live as they lived. That’s an important part of figuring out our own identity.” So says new Foundation Historian Mark McConkie. To assist in this goal, Mark is compiling a two-page biography on each of the children of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith. When members of the Foundation pay their annual $10 dues, they will receive this packet, which Mark now estimates should be ready by summer.