"All seemed to be reasonable reservations for their time," he said, yet "today, we are embarking on a new era of family history computer technology."

The coming release of a new system — already available in half of the temple districts around the world — will allow members to "prepare and submit names of our ancestors for temple work from our homes," and to "see easily which ancestors need proxy temple ordinances and print a summary page with a bar code that, when scanned in the temple, will print out a card for use in a temple session. After an ordinance is complete, a record of the completed ordinance is typically available on this secure Web site within 24 hours."

The lesson in that story is simple, he said. "Never dwell or hold on to the past or attempt to protect your comfort zone against the inevitable changes that will be required to meet future advancements. ... Our endings only usher in our new beginnings. The ending of one era ushers in a new era. Lifelong learners do not dwell on the past.

"Past learning creates a valuable foundation of experience upon which to build, not a comfortable place to dwell for a lifetime."

He urged women, in particular, to see motherhood as "the ideal opportunity for lifelong learning," noting that both mother and child learn and mature together and the span of knowledge becomes wide as each child has varied and far-reaching needs.

"My dear sisters, don't ever sell yourselves short as a mother or as a woman," he said. With emotion in his voice, he said it "never ceases to amaze me that the world would state that being a mother is a form of servitude, which does not allow a woman to develop her gifts and talents."

"Nothing, absolutely nothing could be further from the truth. ... Do not let the world define, denigrate or limit your feelings of the lifelong learning values of motherhood in the home, both here in mortality and eternally."

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E-mail: carrie@desnews.com