Exciting Story@Home News

SALT LAKE CITY-
RootsTech, the largest paid family history conference in the United States, is pleased to announce the addition of Story@Home, a two-day conference offering classes and workshops dedicated to the art and inspiration of connecting generations through stories. Story@Home will enrich the RootsTech experience for anyone interested in learning how to preserve and share their personal and family stories.

Held in Salt Lake City, March 21-23, 2013, RootsTech is a conference experience for young and old alike, regardless of expertise. World-class speakers including nationally renowned storytelling experts Syd Lieberman and Kim Weitkamp will offer the latest tools, techniques, and technology to help attendees find, organize, preserve, and share family connections, history and stories.
RootsTech 2013 will offer the following:

• Full Story@Home -over 20 classes offer insight into how to successfully research, tell, record, publish, and share family stories.
• Getting Started track -more than 30 classes and labs will help those new to family history learn where to start, how to build their family tree, and use technology to explore their connections.
• Huge Expo Hall -a 40 percent bigger exhibit hall will bring in many new exhibitors, allowing attendees to discover all the latest products and services.
• Over 250 Classes and Workshops

Full conference attendees get access to more speakers, 

classes, and interactive workshops to choose from.

Conference Costs

Full 3-Day Pass	$149 (Ends December 31, 2012)
Full One-Day Only Pass	$89
Student 3-Day Pass	$39 (School ID required)
Getting Started 3-Day Pass	$39 (Early Bird)
Getting Started One-Day Pass	$19 (Selection of fundamental classes)
Developer Day Pass	$89 (Full-day technology program for developers)

About RootsTech
RootsTech is a unique conference focused on helping individuals learn and use the latest technology to get started or accelerate their efforts to find, organize, preserve and share their family's connections and history. The first annual conference was held in 2011, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Hosted by FamilySearch and sponsored by leading genealogical organizations, the conference includes hands-on demonstrations and forums to provide a highly interactive environment and accelerate learning. Content is geared to young and old, beginner to advanced levels.

About Story@Home

Story@Home is a conference that celebrates the power of story. No matter how you tell your stories - through your family history, at your child¹s bedside, on your blog, or from a stage - the Story@Home conference will help you find, capture and share your stories. Workshops and performances by award-winning storytellers, performers, and speakers will help you explore ways to use the power of story in your home.

Cherish|Bound produces Story@Home. Cherish|Bound is a personal publishing company that specializes in helping you tell your stories. With an online publishing tool, hundreds of pre-designed templates, and a full product line of Story Starters, Cherish|Bound is the simplest way to tell your story - one chapter at a time.

http://www.cherishbound.com/blog/storyathome/register/

Holiday Special

Holiday Special

One CD $10.00 USD Two CD $18.00 USD Three CD $24.00 USD

 I love the holidays! There's something magical about slowing down, circling the family, and celebrating the life we share. Thanksgiving was a perfect example of that for me. Four generations of our family traveled hundreds of miles to gather in my oldest daughter's home. My youngest daughter brought along her new best friend and introduced him to the family en mass! It was loud, and crazy, and fun, and filled with laughter and great food and the sharing of story. I loved every minute of it, but I think one of the things I'll cherish most was watching everyone share our family stories with my daughter's guest. It wasn't performance based at all, just a natural outflowing of explanation and joy. Families speak in short hand. We have a special code. In less than ten words we can remind everyone present of an epic event from our past. Be it funny, or sacred, or somewhere in between we all do it. It can be tough to be an outsider dropped into a family gathering, because when the shorthand starts flying they are lost and shut out. It's rarely intentional, but it happens often. However, it didn't play out that way this year. Each time the shorthand came out, someone would pause to share the back story. It was a tremendous way for our guest to hear the classic family stories and a delightful way to embrace him into the fold. It is through our family stories we choose to share over and over again with ourselves that our identity as a family is solidified.

That's why I've decided it's time for a Holiday Special. I tell family stories to help others remember and share the stories that matter most in their families. The stories I tell may not be anything like the stories that are a part of your family lore, but they are sure to trigger memories and get your family talking. That is music to my ears!

So here's the deal. For December only I'm offering 30% off my regular CD price. If you buy more than one, the savings grow exponentially. Stories are magic - they never wear out. So why not get some magic today and share it with the people you love?! Simply click the "Buy Now" button above.

Loaves and Fishes

Several times this week I've awakened with one of my favorite Bible stories on my mind. Gee, I wonder if someone is trying to give me a message? I think I even know what the message is, but first a brief review.

The story is the story of the loaves and the fishes. It's actually recorded in all four Gospels. It goes something like this. Jesus and his desciples have traveled outside of the city limits for some quality solitary time. But people have witnessed them leave and have followed them. We're not talking a handful here, we're talking thousands of people. They all want to hear what Jesus has to say. They want to hear his stories and listen to his words. They want to be emotionally and spiritually fed. In their haste they did not prepare for the day.

This isn't hard to imagine. If a crowd of teenage girls saw the cast of the Twilight movies walking down the street they'd rush after them for as far as they could, just for the chance to see them, or talk to them. They wouldn't stop for dinner at McDonald's they'd just rush along, trying to keep up.

That's how this crowd was. So, night is drawing nigh. Dusk is fast approaching and Jesus realizes that these thousands of people have not brought food with them. In his concern he asks his disciples if they have any food to share. They assure him there is none. No one planned on 5000 plus guests. The only thing they can find is one young boy with a basket holding 5 loaves and 2 fishes. The disciples are troubled as there is clearly not enough food. But Jesus simply looks up towards heaven, blesses the food and breaks it into baskets and instructs the disciples to gather the people together in order and pass the baskets around. At the end, they collect 12 baskets of leftovers and 5000 men beside women and children are fed. A short time later, this miracle is repeated in much the same way for 4000.

The miracle is that all those people could be fed. But there's so much more to this story. The miracle is that someone was willing to share all he had. But there's so much more to this story. For me, the miracle is that the Lord took all the boy had to offer and increased his capacity to give more.

There's a key here for all of us. So many people I know and love are feeling over-extended at the moment. They feel as if they rush from fire to fire putting one out just in time to address the next one. They fear that in the end, in spite of giving all they have to give that it won't be enough and they will fail somewhere. That's a feeling I've dealt with often. Sometimes, I'm sure I'll break just trying to keep it all together. Life is filled with pressing expectations that demand our attention. We'll fail because it's too much for us to carry.

Actually, we'll fail, because we think we have to carry it all alone.

There is nothing in this life we deal with that the Lord does not stand by willing to help us. All we have to do is ask. All we have to do is show him our little basket with 5 loaves and 2 fishes and acknowledge that we're giving all we have but it's not enough. That's when he'll step in with the miracle. That's when he'll increase our capacity to give. The demands will not be lessened. Over 5000 people still needed to be fed. You will still be expected to do your part. The basket of loaves and fishes was still required. But your capacity will be increased. Your ability to complete your tasks will be magnified. Your potential for reaching farther than you thought possible will be increased. I've been blessed with this miracle often and every time it amazes and humbles me.

The miracle is the Lord took all the boy offered and magnified his capacity to give more. He will do the same for you, if you but ask.

Call Me Unashamedly Patriotic

The S. L. Clark Family
4 July 2012

It's safe to say - our family is patriotic. Ask any one of us what our favorite holiday is and its a good bet you'll hear, "Independence Day." 

We're proud to be Americans and we have gratitude filled hearts for the men and women who serve to defend and protect our freedom.

Photo by Bryan F. Tidlund
Idaho Falls, Idaho 4 July 2012

We love fireworks and the National Anthem and our flag. It's not about picnics and parades, it's sacred. It's about liberty and independence and understanding the sacrifices that have been made so we can live the way we choose. Our roots trace back through every war this country has been engaged in. Our ancestor patriots fought for the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness in a God-fearing and free country. You could say it's in our cellular memory to love and revere this country and the freedoms it provides. Stand beside us when we're singing the National Anthem and you'll probably discover we're just a little teary. It may be cliche' but it's us!

We take the pursuit of happiness very seriously, so it's not every day I get all fired up about something. I'm truly a pretty chill individual. But mess with my flag and I get a little over-heated. This past weekend we drove past a business in West Yellowstone that had posted a line of altered American flags. They clearly felt they were being patriotic by blending images of what they were passionate about overlaid on the flag they love. Sadly, their actions were inappropriate. It got me a little agitated, I'm not gonna lie.

Photo by Stuart L. Clark
 USS Arizona Memorial- Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
10 May 2012

Far too often of late I have driven by businesses and seen the flag of the United States desecrated with some form of advertising overlaying the flag. Or I've seen people in parades wearing shirts obviously cut from a flag. Or I've seen the flag altered so a logo can reside where the field of blue should be. Clever, gimmicky, perhaps even fueled by well meaning intent, but desecration none the less.

Elsewhere, I've driven by businesses, schools, churches and more who are flying a flag that is faded, tattered, and torn. I've seen flags posted and unlit, left standing alone in the dark. Call me unashamedly patriotic - I love our flag. I love our country. I love our troops. I love everything our flag symbolizes and when it is defaced I feel sick inside. Don't misunderstand. This is not a diatribe against any one particular person, political party, or organization. This is simply a plea for Americans to remember and display an ongoing respect for Old Glory. 

US Marine Memorial (Iwo Jima)
Arlington Cemetery, Washington DC

In a world where our flag is being desecrated and burned by those who fully intend to bring us harm, shouldn't we - as a nation - be showing greater respect for our flag? I don't care what your political views are, as a nation we have men and women representing us who are risking their lives every day to insure our flag still waves as a symbol of liberty and hope for the world. When some are giving so much, can we give any less?

I have a friend who drove past a local high school and saw the stripes of their flag were starting to separate. She didn't just tell them to replace it, she went out and bought them a new flag and hand delivered it; then asked them to respectfully discard of the old one. Her action took my breath away. Can you imagine the impact if we all acted in such a way? 

Photo by Taunalee Clark
BYU Idaho - 11 September 2012

Come on America! Step up - show some pride. If you know someone who has some great marketing idea to overlay on the flag - tell them it's not okay. Let businesses and organizations know it's not okay for them to alter the flag for their marketing purposes. Take the time to let someone know when their flag is too worn to be flown. Buy them a new flag. Offer to help them discard the old one respectfully. We may not have global impact as individuals, but we can do this. 

Honor, cherish, and protect our flag!

In the spirit of 'knowledge is power' here's some links for your review.

We all learned about flag codes and etiquette in grade school, but if all that knowledge has begun to fade you can read up on it here: http://uscode.house.gov/download/pls/04C1.txt

Did you know you can purchase a flag that has flown over the US capital? You can even request the day it's flown. I've done it. We fly a flag that was posted on our wedding anniversary. (3 July) We gave such a flag to my parents as well. I love it. This is a quality flag with embroidered stars and stitched stripes - pure class. You can purchase your own flag this way.  Go to this website to find out how: http://www.usflag.org/capitol.flag.html

Photo by Rachel Clark
Idaho Falls Parade
4 July 2012

Eventually, flags need to be retired. This symbol of freedom and liberty must be discarded with the utmost respect. Here's how to make sure you're honoring the flag you retire. From USA FLAG SITE:

http://www.usa-flag-site.org/forum/proper-flag-disposal-964.html

There are several ways in which you may give your American flag the proper retirement without showing disgrace to this great country. If you would like to dispose of the flag yourself then the most fitting way is to hold your own, private ceremony. The U.S. Flag Code states, "The flag, when it is in such a condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferable by burning." After your flag has been burned, the ashes should be buried. If you cannot burn and bury the flag yourself, then there are several organizations that will retire your flag in a proper and respectful ceremony. Among them are:
VFW @ vfw.org
American Legion @ legion.org
Boy Scouts of America @ scouting.org
Girl Scouts of America @ girlscouts.org
Marine Corps League @ mcleague.com
Contact one of the organizations obove and they will be able to direct you to a local post, troop or location near you.

~ May God Bless America ~

Utah this weekend!

SAD BREAKING NEWS: (Pun intended) My brakes failed - I've had to cancel. 

Please go to these events and enjoy them anyway!!!

A Tale from the Decameron by John William Waterhouse 1916

I'm telling stories at the Utah Valley Renaissance Faire (in costume) at the Timpanogos Park in Provo Canyon from 11 - 12 am this Friday the 21st.

Pioneer Children of my gr. gr. grandma, Catharine Houtz Boyer
Lydia Meleta, Francis Christian, Mariah Catherine
John Sell, Emma Elisabeth, Philip Henry

I'm also telling stories at the Utah Genealogical Fall Conference. The conference will be held at the Sandy Campus (Larry H. Miller) of Salt Lake Community College near the 10600 South off ramp of I-15. 

Friday Evening they are offering some evening activities for Families. I'll be leading a hands-on workshop on family memory at 6:15 pm and performing an hour of family friendly stories at 7:30 pm.

I'll be a part of the keynote panel and presenting two workshops on Saturday morning as well.

I'd love to see you at any of these events!

If you want more information about the Renaissance Faire go here: http://utahvalleyrenaissancefaire.com/tickets/

If you want more information about the UGA Conference go here: http://www.infouga.org/aem.php?eid=5

Gold Star Mother Tea

 It's no secret I love what I do. There is an indescribable satisfaction that comes to my heart when I am able to share stories with others. You can't see it, but there's a heart line that forms between the listener and teller that bonds them together during the story. The storyteller is no longer simply telling a story, the storyteller and listener are sharing an experience. The experience refills my soul every time. I always feel blessed when I am invited to partake of such a moment.

Yesterday, however, the blessing went beyond the norm. I was invited to share a story at a Gold Star Mothers tea presented at The Stillwater est. 1997. The gold star represents those who have lost a son or daughter in battle. Every guest at the tea was someone who had experienced such a loss. Miss Tonia had told me that she had felt a tangible reverence as she had been preparing for the tea, so I thought I knew how I would feel. In truth, I didn't have a clue.

The emotion in the room was palatable. Pride, pain, peace, anger, ache, longing, celebration, love, wisdom, support, yearning, satisfaction - I could go on and on - it all swirled through the room. As I looked into the eyes of my listeners I realized I may have an academic understanding of the last 10+ years of war our country has been engaged in, but it's all been sterilized somehow. But yesterday, I felt the emotions these people carry in their hearts each and every day. Reverence is an understatement.

In truth I felt reverence and so much more. I also felt an overwhelming wave of pride and shame.







Pride because our nation has a completely volunteer army. There are those who claim this negates the honor somehow, as if they are all mercenaries, not patriots. Nothing could be further from the truth. A sentiment I heard voiced over and over is that these warriors were there because they felt it was where they should be. One mother shared the peace she felt from a picture of her son taken just the day before he died. The image is of children reaching out to her son [in full battle array] with obvious gratitude on their faces. The son's arm is outstretched back to the children, the look on his face is one of pure love and joy. A burned out building creates a stunning backdrop to the image. She declared the picture brought comfort because it reminded her that he was where he knew he was supposed to be serving to make the world a better place for those children and for all of us.


Shame because as a nation we've turned this into a silent war. We support the troops, we put the yellow ribbons on our cars and we thank those in uniform we see....but what of those we lose? Someone expressed to me the helplessness she feels when she sees the gold star. "I don't know what to say, nothing I say will help them, so I say nothing." I don't think she is alone in her discomfort. Can you imagine the deafening silence such an act creates in the lives of those who mourn a soldier?

I read an article yesterday that declared on average we've lost a soldier a day. Statistically, that's a dramatic improvement over the losses our nation suffered in past wars, but statistics mean nothing to the families of those dead soldiers.

I was deeply honored to spend time with these valiant survivors. The last Sunday in September is Gold Star Mother's Day in the United States. I'm pretty certain it wouldn't be too hard to find such a mother, sister, brother, father, wife, husband, cousin, or friend, near you. It seems to me a hug and a 'thank you' is a good place to begin to break the silence. Ask them to share their story. Let them tell you about their fallen hero, I promise as you listen you'll discover a heart line forming a bond for you both.

To learn more about the Gold Star Moms organization visit:
http://www.goldstarmoms.com/
http://www.goldstarmoms.com/whoweare/history/history.htm

World of Storytelling Radio

Exciting things are happening in the world of storytelling!

Not the least of which is the global outreach of A World of Storytelling Radio.
All over the world - any time - day or night - folks are tuning in to listen to stories! You can too.

Simply visit: http://www.live365.com/stations/storytellingradio

And now, I'm thrilled to announce, when you tune in to A World of Storytelling Radio, you may just get to hear one of my stories off my 2012 CD release, Wears Like Iron.

Would you rather curl up with a good book?
You'll find a few of my stories in the new book, Value Stories for a Young Woman. This is the kind of book that's perfect for road trips and lazy summer afternoons.  The book is full of inspiring stand-alone stories all carefully selected and crafted to strengthen moral courage.
Available from http://deseretbook.com/Value-Stories-Young-Woman-Marilyn-O-Diehl/i/5085535