The Snowflake Chronicles

What�s On My Mind January 20, 2006

What’s On My Mind January 20, 2006

What’s on my mind today are the similarities or parallels between searching for God and searching for my ancestors. The main reason this is on my mind is that I received the latest issue of Planet Baha’i in my e-mail box this morning. There were two intriguing articles by Dale E. Lehman in that newsletter today (1) Searching for Roots, Searching for God and (2) The Mystery of Search. The reason these two articles interest me is that I am also searching for my ancestors. It is the first article Searching for Roots, Searching for God that is on my mind right now.

Don’t get me wrong, I searched for God, for the Beloved, or perhaps I should say a religion or spiritual tradition that I could accept. I found what I had been searching for in Baha’u’llah and the Baha’i Faith. The Baha’i Faith is only a little over one hundred and sixty years old. In 1844 in Shiraz, Persia (Iran) the Bab, Baha’u’llah’s forerunner declared his mission. In 1863 in Baghdad, Iraq Baha’u’llah declared his mission. I was attracted to the Baha’i Faith because of two reason (1) a dream I had some years before which I’ll probably write about at another time and (2) Baha’is did not condemn any religion and accepted other religions as being sent from God.

In finding the Baha’i Faith my search for God didn’t end, I am still searching today. When I found the Baha’i Faith I exited the Valley of Search and entered the next Valley which is the Valley of Love. There a Seven Valleys in the mystics search, the mystic’s search never really ends. The mystic simply moves from Valley to Valley from Mystery to Mystery. As long as I live my search will continue. (See The Seven Valleys revealed by Baha’u’llah).

Anyway as I was saying about my search for my ancestors. Now, like Mr. Lehman, I’m not a “dedicated gemologist”, but I’m curios about the people that contributed to my genetic make-up. So I periodically look for my ancestors. In doing so I, like Mr. Lehman, have discovered a mystery or perhaps I should say several mysteries. The main mystery I would like to solve is about my Great Grandmother, the only thing I have about her is the funeral book from her burial. I know only what is in that book, but that book doesn’t give her maiden name. The funeral book says who attended the funeral and the names of the children she gave birth. Who gave birth to my Great Grandma Chaplin? Chaplin was her married name, what was her maiden name?

Fortunately, as Mr. Lehman pointed out, it isn’t the finding but the search or should I say journey through the Valleys that is important.