The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints View of Family

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has its own view of what a family is. This is described in a proclamation to the world that was issued by the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles in 1995. Here is what it said: We, THE FIRST PRESIDENCY 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. IN THE PREMORTAL REALM, spirit … Continue reading →

Who Are We Trying to Please?

I am the queen of trying to please those around me. I want my coworkers to think I’m great. I want my children to think I’m the best Mom in the world. I want my husband to admire my cooking. I want my friends to think I have it all together. For me, it is very important not to disappoint those around me. Yet, how often do I look at trying to please the most important person of all? My Heavenly Father. Recently, I read a great talk that appeared in the January 2012 Ensign. It is titled, “Look Up” … Continue reading →

Love Being Home

This past weekend I went away for the first time since I became a mother. Sure, I have left my kids with the babysitter from time to time, but never have they been left by Mommy for days in a row. It was an interesting experience for all of us. I went away to enjoy a weekend with my sisters. There were going to be no kids involved, and I had the idea that it was going to be a perfect, stress free weekend. Quite the contrary. One of my sisters got sick, and a big change of plans had … Continue reading →

Forget The Battle of the Sexes

I ran across the article today, “To be happy, we must admit women and men aren’t ‘equal’“. It made a lot of great points about gender roles, and how the battle of the sexes has created confusion in our society. Her point in the article at last was, “The battle of the sexes is over. And guess what? No one won. Why not try something else on for size? Like this: men and women are equal, but different. They’ve each been blessed with amazing and unique qualities that they bring to the table. Isn’t it time we stopped fussing about who … Continue reading →

We Believe in Grace, Too.

Grace is a beautiful word. It has many meanings. However, the type of grace I am talking about is the grace of God. Many religions believe that they are saved by grace. Some believe by simply accepting Christ into your heart, you are saved. Do Mormons believe in grace? The simple answer is, yes. But, maybe not in the same way that others believe in grace. However, I feel like grace is something that us Mormons forget about. So much so that sometimes, I think we forget that we also are saved by God’s grace. A book that changed the … Continue reading →

What If We All Showed Love for God and Neighbor?

Another question that was posed in our relief society lesson on Sunday that really stuck with me was, “What would the world be like if everyone showed love for God and Neighbor?” One mom raised her hand and said something along the lines of, “I would not live in fear anymore. I wouldn’t be scared to drop my kids off at school everyday. There would be no fear.” As I sat there thinking about that, I couldn’t help but think, “What would MY life be like without fear?” It was an interesting thought. As a parent, we can’t help but … Continue reading →

Coping with Loss

It is difficult for anyone when they lose someone they love. It can be even more difficult to watch those that you love struggle with their loss when they do not have the knowledge of the Gospel to help them through their loss. At times, I don’t give much thought to the fact that merely knowing what happens after we die is a huge comfort to me. Since I was raised in the church, it has always been a part of my understanding of God, His Plan, and What happens after this life. But, for many, they do not have … Continue reading →

Scriptures that Strengthen Me as a Mother

Being a mother is one of the biggest responsibilities in this life. It is not an easy one. It is stressful, and complicated, and tests your patience like nothing I’ve ever experienced. It is wonderful too, but sometimes, I think we as moms need to be reassured, strengthened, and shown love. Unfortunately, we don’t always get that from the little people we take care of. But, there is one person that is there for us, and that is our Heavenly Father. Today I was thinking about some of the scriptures that bring me strength as a mother. And, I immediately … Continue reading →

Unexpected Gifts

When I got married 10 years ago, I received a wedding present that was unexpected. It was a beautiful nativity. Since I got married in July, Christmas was definitely not on my mind, and I had never even thought of the fact that I would want a nativity to display in our home. It became my favorite wedding gift that first Christmas that we were married because I realized it was something that I did want, although it was unexpected. It was also something that I could never have afforded at the time, so I appreciated it all the more. … Continue reading →

Setting Spiritual Goals for 2013

I’m not usually one to set New Year’s resolutions. I don’t ever do it. It’s not that I don’t have goals or aspirations, but I just don’t feel the need to do that at the beginning of each new year. However, this year, I have been thinking a lot about spiritual resolutions and goals. We all make them don’t we? We all say, “I’m going to pray more.” Or, “I am going to read my scriptures everyday”, etc. If you are anything like me, you feel like there is always something you can do better when it comes to your … Continue reading →