Next time you use an old fashion camera to take a photo, consider not using a flash bulb.

Several years ago I had the opportunity of living in the jungles of Guatemala doing humanitarian work. On one occasion I was allowed to get on a small sailing vessel with the locals and cross Lake Atitian. To the people of that area, it is a scared water near active volcano's, which majestically stand as if they were protective sentinels, about to erupt if danger approached the water. Interesting enough, many Mormon faithful believe Lake Atitian is the "Waters of Mormon" which is written of in the LDS scripture book called "The Book of Mormon". That body of water is filled by constant and cascading waterfalls. Lake Atitian also appears to be protected by the 12 separate and distinct villages which surround the lake. Those people are of the Ancient Mayan culture and have great fears associated with those of us from the outside world. Sometimes in life, rules are not known.....until we break one, as I found out once given permission to enter an ancient village. I was intrigued by their distinctive noses and colorful clothing, so without much thought, I pulled out my camera to take photo's. When the flash went off, I knew I had somehow erred as the villagers quickly scattered for cover. Through interceptors and interpreters, I was given an explanation. The Ancient Ones believe that a flash like the one from my camera was taking a part of their soul from them. It wasn't an instant death, but a cruel way of draining their life energy. Needless to say, I hid my camera and made efforts to re-establish their trust and strenuously apologized. I couldn't help but think of that lesson of long ago, until last week. My son was helping to move some of my history boxes when he found two photos. He said he recognized one but not the other. After a little shock and awe, along with reflections of the past, I explained the one photo is of Justin and Troy Jones, standing next to their grandfather-Alma Jones, who passed away four months after that photo was taken. The second photo is of Maggie Vera Harris, the first child of Evan and Eliza Hitesman Harris. She was born in Nephi, Utah, USA in 1898, but died 8 years later, about four months after that photo was taken. All of this information could be just a strange coincidence, but it is definitely one of those Juab County "Well I'll be" sort of things that had to be shared.