Guest Author - Sandy Mullins

I don’t know about most of you out there, but this is a phrase that I have to keep telling myself “Moderation in All Things.”

It comes from the following:

“It is incumbent upon them who are in authority to exercise moderation in all things. Whatsoever passeth beyond the limits of moderation will cease to exert a beneficial influence. Consider for instance such things as liberty, civilization and the like. However much men of understanding may favourably regard them, they will, if carried to excess, exercise a pernicious influence upon men.”
Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 169

I tend to find myself diving in head first in everything I do. You say well most of us try and do a good job. First, you need to understand that I am retired. You think ‘oh I think I know where this is going. But, even when I was employed full time, I would take on endeavors that most people would not even take on. I always volunteer in some way or another, sometimes I do it for several agencies sometimes, just one.

Years ago I started volunteering one morning a week at the Phoenix Zoo, in Arizona. Within a year I was there three days a week then, not only did I volunteer I started working in their summer camp program for about two months, they had just started their second year of continuos “Night Camps” when I went to doing those two nights a week. I would pull two 16 hour Night Camps, do school presentations or on ground presentations, usually all two or three days. I volunteered and worked this for about eight years, until I slowly slowed down and moved on. Several years and several jobs later, the last one Managing a health food department in a major grocery chain, i retired. Yeah right, I just don’t get paid for all the work I do.

Now I am in a small mid west town in Iowa. We just planned and celebrated the towns 125th Birthday. I am exhausted, but have a few too many commitments that I have neglected. So, I told my self balance and moderation in all things, time to schedule my time.

I have my Baha’i and Specialty Channels to write for (which I love doing). A murder mystery that I should finish before a place I am using is refurbished and turned into a bed and breakfast. I could sell the books there (smiling). A sad thing is it was my dream to turn this old building into a bed and breakfast, my guy and most everybody around thinks that it is haunted and he would never consider living there. I also have been quilting (have about six to finish at this point, if you quilt you understand you always seem to have several going at once).

The other project in my life is my genealogy. Luckily since my family is L.D.S. most of it has been done. On my own I have found 1400 names. While doing this, I found several other related projects to do. If you are doing your family history, you probably have hit a few walls. Some of these family members, you have no clue where they are buried. Well there are a few organizations out there that are striving to record the cemeteries. You may think that most cemeteries are recorded somewhere. Believe me, that’s not the truth. That brings me to another one of my many projects: I have made myself the historian to our small towns’ cemetery. Several of the graves are unmarked, and several have been lost forever. This cemetery has about 600 plus graves I haven’t gotten even close to knowing how many yet. You can to save our history by volunteering and spending time taking pictures or doing rubbings of the cemeteries around you. The link will be below. Remember though don’t be like me, “Moderation in all things.”

Check out the Bellas' Genealogy site at: