HISTORY

A Little History:
Our story begins in Pocatello, Idaho, circa 1972, when the lovely Debby Christensen agreed to a first, though fateful date with admirer, David Croshaw. Long story-short, he bade her follow him, and they went arm-in-arm to the Logan, Utah temple for establishment of an eternal family unit, Generation 1, on May 23 1973.

From their first blissful summer in Salt Lake City, educational pursuits took them to Provo/Orem, Utah, birthplace of Leslie and Rebecca, and to San Francisco/Oakland California, birthplace of Colin and Matt. Then, for establishment of livelihood, expansion of the tribe with Abby and Dana, and for raising/unifying of Generation 2, it was back to the roots in Pocatello for a rewarding sojourn.

In time, driven by a raging, but commonly shared sense of adventure and independence, one-by-one, Generation 2 escaped the homeland to distant regions of the country and the world, each ultimately developing their own tribal expansions by pairing with worthy mates and initiating Generation 3.

Now sensing fulfillment of their purpose in Pocatello, Generation 1 has also left those roots and transplanted to Cascade Idaho, from which base, they anticipate more abundant contact with The Posterity, Generations 2 and 3, in the future. That contact however, awaits fulfillment of a call to LDS missionary service in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, wherein they hope to help the state of the world by sharing the love of Jesus Christ.

So now, including Generation 0 (Grandma and Grandpa Christensen) home base includes Yuma, Arizona, Pocatello, Idaho, Cascade, Idaho, Vancouver, BC, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Spokane, Washington, Boise, Idaho, Los Angeles, California, back to Boise, Idaho, and on and on (Generation 3+) to infinity.

Our Mission Statement:
This is the blog of our eternal family unit. Initiated years ago, it served well as a journal, but even more so, as an archive of our personal interaction. It was a gathering place, a confabulation instrument, a unifying force for four generations of widely dispersed and progressively prolific posterity, and their valued associates. Though it served these purposes well for many years, it eventually took a back seat to new-kids-on-the-block, Facebook, and Instagram, and was sadly forgotten.

We now move to resurrect this blog with an added functional purpose of archiving the missionary experiences of Generation 1, of their movements and activities as they participate with The Gathering of Israel in the land northward. In so doing, we hope that via their own comments and posts, this blog will again serve to gather and unify the posterity and their friends.

As in the past, that the young and vibrant may know the old and tired, that enduring bonds may be fostered and maintained, that experience and encouragement may be openly shared, that posterity may embrace truth, and that hearts may be knit together, we must resist detachment despite our geographic divergence. We shall do so here.
_____________________________________________________________

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Tribute


Mom came out to DC this weekend for my graduation, so I had the luxury of spending a portion of Mother's Day with her. She's en route back to Idaho now, but today I had a flash of a distant memory that reminded me of just how great an impact her example has had on the way I live my life.

Many years ago, I used to play on a competitive soccer team. We participated in big, important tournaments (at least I thought they were at the time), and sometimes my team had games on Sundays. I remember playing one single Sunday game, but never again after that. The details are fuzzy as to what led up to me sitting out the rest of the Sunday games, or whether I did it with a good attitude or not. I'm sure Mom didn't say, "I won't let you play any more games on Sunday," because that's just not the way she leads. She probably reminded me of the the importance of the Sabbath and then allowed me to make the choice for myself.

Whatever the case may be, I realized today that this experience has completely shaped and molded my behavior on the Sabbath and my perception of it. I work hard to make sure that Sunday is special: it's my day to set aside the work and stress from the rest of the week - not such an easy task in grad school. But it is a day I treasure, and always a day I need by the time it comes around. I am grateful to Mom for planting that seed, and I am grateful for this particular day that gives us all a chance to acknowledge her unconditional love, support, and example.

Love you, Mom!

3 comments:

David Chipman said...

I think the Sabbath is a truly wonderful gift. I decided many years ago not to run on Sunday, a choice that has blessed my life greatly. It flows over into the other aspects of keeping the Sabbath holy. This post reminded me of one of the influences in my life with regard to the Sabbath. As trite as it may seem, the story of Eric Liddell (Chariots of Fire) has had a profound influence on my life. He speaks in the film of the importance of keeping the Sabbath holy. It's really a short line or two in the film, but it has had quite an impact on me. Of equal note, is the impressive and devout Christian life that Eric lived in real life, outside and beyond the movie.

I enjoy the rest and peace that I have on Sunday.It gives me time to reconnect with myself and the Lord, and to reflect on where I'm headed. While life can get really crazy, busy, and stressful, this has been a bastion of peace and a calm refuge in life's storms. Thanks for posting this Abby. It reminds me once again how important this is, and how much I enjoy Sundays.

Jason and Dana said...

I am that way with so many parts of my life, even some seemingly non-important parts, because of our incredible mother.

rebeccaV said...

Sorry I am such a bad daughter and forgot to call you on mother's day. I seriously talk to you every day, how did I miss mother's day?? I have to totally agree with everything Abby said in this post. You are such a great mom! The older I get, the more I realize it. You are my eternal example. I love you!