All that Matters

My family is all that matters.  I have learned a great deal about families and what helps a family stay strong together.  A marriage that a woman and man strive hard at, to love and to cherish one another is a great start.  No marriage is perfect, but when Mike and I work together to help one another, support, and love unconditionally that is a solid base to have a family work.  In "The Divine Institution of Marriage" in January 2014, it is stated, "Marriage is far more than a contract between individuals to ratify their affections and provide for mutual obligations.  Rather, marriage is a vital institution for rearing children and teaching them to become responsible adults."

President Hinckley quotes from The Family: A Proclamation to the World, "Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children.  "Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalm 127:3).  Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve on another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live.  Husband and wives-mothers and father-will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations."

Our kids teach me so much and are amazing examples to us often.  They are hard working, patient, and loving.  We are all learning together to make it back to heaven to see our Heavenly Father again.  I look forward to the day when I can say, "I did my best and tried my hardest to live the way my Savior wanted me to live my life."  President Hinckley, a prophet of the Lord, stated this from the Ensign, July 1997, "Never forget that these little ones are the sons and daughters of God and that yours is a custodial relationship to them, that He was a parent before you were parents and that He has not relinquished His parental rights or interest in these His little ones.  Now love them, take care of them.  Fathers, control your tempers, now and in all the years to come.  Mothers, control your voices; keep them down.  Rear your children in love, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  Take care of your little ones.  Welcome them into your homes, and nurture and love them with all of your hearts.  They may do, in the years to come, some things you would not want them to do, but be patient, be patient.  You have not failed as long as you have tried.  Never forget that."  What a beautiful reminder for all of us that are trying our best to raise these little people that we have been blessed to have in our homes.

What a great experience this has been to put together this blog.  I have learned so much in this class and really appreciate the words of our prophets and apostles.  Our Heavenly Father and His Son love us with an indescribable love, and we need to ALWAYS remember that.  I know this gospel is true.  I know that Joseph Smith went to a grove of trees, at the age of 14, and spoke to Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ.  I am so thankful for his bravery and the courage it took to teach so many of the gospel and I cannot imagine the persecution he and his family endured.  I am thankful for a living prophet on the earth today, President Monson, to lead and guide us in this stressful and scary time on the earth.  I know I am loved by my Savior.  I know He loves each and every one of us!  The gospel is my life, and I try hard to do what is right each day.  I am thankful I can repent and start new and for the blessing it is to know of the Resurrection of our Lord.   I love my family with all my heart and so grateful for their patience and love for me.  I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Embrace it!

These are our 3 beautiful kids.  Our oldest is leaving for college this year, the one on the left.  The boy on the right is almost 15 and starting high school this coming fall.  The guy in the middle is our youngest but tallest now.  He will be in 7th grade.  They have made me who I am today.  We wouldn't be parents without these guys.  I am eternally grateful for them and what a blessing they are to me and my husband.  I truly love them and their personalities.  They make me laugh, cry, and they are hard work, but worth every second!

Things are changing in our home and change can be hard.  Our oldest is leaving our home to pursue schooling in college out west.  We live in the east so it will be a distance but she will come home for Christmas.  I will be the only girl in the house, but these 2 guys will keep me busy and will be doing more growing and becoming the kind of men Heavenly Father would like them to become.  I am so happy for our daughter and excited about the experiences she will have and how much her testimony will grow.

I looked up the word "change" in the dictionary and this is what it states, "to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left a lone: to change one's name; to change one's opinion; to change the course of history."  There are bigger people in our home now.  Our youngest doesn't need me to help him with hardly anything.  They all 3 can do so much on their own.  They need us for different things now, like sharing opinions, learning, guidance in choices they are making, shelter, transportation, and love.  I am learning to embrace this change.  I either can be sad that they are all growing up and miss out on opportunities that come our way to learn from one another, or I can EMBRACE the changes and experiences they are going through.

Lehi embraced his boys doing what the Lord asked them to do.  Lehi was told by the Lord to have his sons go and get the Golden Plates from Laban and bring them back.  I learned a lot from Sariah and her sadness and worry when they were gone.  I would have been very worried also, but she taught me to have faith in what path the Lord has set for each of us.  She was mad and upset that Lehi would send them on such a dangerous journey, but she even learned that she should "embrace" the Lord and the choices that are put in front of us.

I am so thankful for this time in my life right now.  We have 3 very healthy and smart kids who strive to do their best.  I love that they are older and we can do so much with them now.  I adore these kids and they are definitely my most favorite!  So, if you are sad about a change or challenge that you are going through, EMBRACE IT MY FRIEND!  It will be so much more enjoyable and you will be able to do your very best with our Savior's help, I promise you.

Repentance

I am so thankful that I can repent each Sunday during the sacrament.  What a joyous blessing that truly is.  I want to share, today, about what a true blessing it is to have the Savior's great love for each of us and how amazed I am that we can repent daily all because Heavenly Father's son died for every one of us.

In 1 Nephi 10:18 in the Book of Mormon it says, "For he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him."  What a clear and beautiful reminder.  He is exactly the same, He is constant and will always be there for us and love us no matter what.  We are given the Holy Ghost when we are baptized and I am so thankful for the constant reminder from the spirit of that love He has for me.  I make so many mistakes daily, but if I continually go to the Lord and repent each day of the mistakes I have made, He WILL help me and guide me to the right path.

                                                      Always remember this........

I want to share how important family really is.  In The Family: A Proclamation to the World it share this....

"The family is ordained of God.  Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan.  Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity.  Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities."

What a beautiful paragraph.  We have a purpose, each and everyone of us.  I am so thankful when our family gets a long and there is peace in our home.  I need to remember, though, that there is NO perfect family.  Everyone has their challenges within their home.  I am so grateful for a loving Savior who really wants to help us and do better and be better within our family.

Journaling

President Kimball gave a beautiful talk called, "The Angels May Quote from It".  He explains how truly important journal keeping is to ourselves and for our posterity.    He states this, "Your own private journal should record the way you face up to challenges that beset you.  Do not suppose life changes so much that your experiences will not be interesting to your posterity.  Experiences of work, relations with people, and an awareness of the rightness and wrongness of actions will always be relevant."

I keep a journal of the tender mercies I have happen in my life.  I refer to them when I am down, need encouragement, or just need to be reminded of the incredible love the Savior has for me.  He loves us all and truly wants us to remember Him and how blessed we truly are.  President Kimball also shared, "Your journal is your autobiography, so it should be kept carefully.  You are unique, and there may be incidents in your experience that are more noble and praiseworthy in their way that those recorded in any other life."  What a thought that angels could truly quote us some day.

The gospel is so beautiful and such a blessing in my life.  I couldn't be more grateful for how my life and family are blessed with the richness and fullness of the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I will end by quoting this wonderful Prophet, "Get a notebook, a journal that will last through all time, and maybe the angels may quote from it for eternity.  Begin today and write in it your goings and comings, your deepest thoughts, your achievements and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies."  The Savior wants us to do this.

Love

Elder Oaks gave a great talk called, "Love and Law".  He states, "God's love is so perfect that He lovingly requires us to obey His commandments because He know that only through obedience to His laws can we become perfect, as He is.  For this reason, God's anger and His wrath are not a contradiction of His love but an evidence of His love.  Every parent knows that you can love a child totally and completely while still being creatively angry and disappointed at the child's self-defeating behavior."

The whole talk is a beautiful reminder of God's love and His commandments and how they are both truly there for us all.  He wants us to return to him and receive the promises and blessings He has for each of us.

Here is the link to the whole talk.
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/love-and-law?lang=eng

Project

I am working on a project called Project Living, for my religion class.  I chose to be kinder to these four people in my life for two weeks.  Don't get me wrong, we are kind but we can always do a little better with our loved ones, right?

So, last week was so busy. My daughter had her graduation party, my mom-in-law was in town, I hurt my back so bad that I wasn't able to do much bending, my husband had clients in town all week and worked really late, boys had music lessons, errands to run, and I am still going to school.  It was a crazy week, but as I sit down now, a week later reflecting on all the craziness, I realize that these four very special people really helped me out.  I am so thankful for their help and we all were able to pull it off.  The party was a huge success, my mom-in-law was such a big help, my husband was superman, and those two tall guys of mine on the left, were my muscles when I couldn't bend at all.  They were so kind to me, and I was a complainer and a stress ball, but we all somehow did it together.

I want to start this week off right and say, "thank you" my little family.  I couldn't have done any of it without you. I am grateful I have the knowledge that I know I will be with this group forever.  In The Family: A Proclamation to the World it states in the third paragraph this, "In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life.  The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave."  I am so happy that these four amazing people chose to receive a body and follow God's plan of happiness.  What a huge blessing they are to me.  I love them with all my heart!

This week I will do better in expressing more gratitude and love to my family.  They are all I have and I really want them to know what a huge blessing they are to me.  Really, how often do we tell our kids how special they are to us and lists the strengths you love about them?  I am going to do better and I challenge you to too.

Have a great week.

Marriage

Just as the message above, we need to have faith all throughout our lives.  Our spouse is there for us to help us along the way, to help us grow and become the child of God we need to become.  Elder Bednar shares, "The great plan of happiness enables the spirit sons and daughters of Heavenly Father to obtain physical bodies, to gain earthly experience, and to progress toward perfection.  Gender is an essential characteristic of individual permortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose and in large measure difines who we are, why we are here upon the earth, and what we are to do and become.  For divine purposes, male and femail spirits are different, distinctive, and complementary."

I am so thankful I have a good husband that I can share the eternities with.  I am blessed to have Mike in my life.  He truly is my helpmeet and such an incredible man.  He and I have been through so much and we have only grown through it all. "Marriage is Essential to His Eternal Plan", said Elder David A. Bednar.  "Our own marriage relationships and our responsibilities in the Church, I testify the Spirit of the Lord will enlighten our minds and teach us the things we need to do to improve."

The Family: Proclamation

The Family: A Proclamation to the World is a one page document that was written by Our Prophet and Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  In the second paragraph it reads,
"ALL HUMAN BEINGS—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose."  
It is stated with great clarity that we are created in the image of God.  President Kimball said that women are made in the image of our Heavenly Mother.  What a wonderful thought.  I had never heard of that.  Reading that brought me such comfort and I felt such love from our Heavenly Father.  I am so thankful that the Proclamation is so clear to understand and helps each of us understand where the church stands on certain aspects of the gospel.

“Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.”  I am thankful that I know, without a doubt, that I have always been a female.  It is amazing to think that every single one of us was who we are now, but in the pre-existence.   I really look forward to learning more about the Family: Proclamation to the world.  I am also grateful that our church leaders were so in tuned with the spirit to know what to say and how to word this incredible document.  

Here is the actual Family Proclamation.  I hope you read this and feel of the truthfulness and importance of the family.

THE FAMILY

---

A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

WE, THE FIRST PRESIDENCY and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

ALL HUMAN BEINGS—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

IN THE PREMORTAL REALM, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

WE DECLARE the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.

HUSBAND AND WIFE have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

THE FAMILY is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

WE WARN that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

WE CALL UPON responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

My Family

This is my family.  My husband and I have been married for 25 years now and have loved all the adventures we have been through!  We have 2 boys that are 12 and 14 and a daughter that is 18 and going off to college this summer.  Our life is a busy busy one but we all meet at the same place each night, our home.

I have created this blog because of a class I am taking right now called "Eternal Families".  The project is called the Capstone Project.  I chose to write a blog for 12 weeks in hopes of sharing my thoughts, fears, cocerns, and joys that comes with being in a family.  I hope you enjoy it and hope those that follow me, we can learn from one another.