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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

Is Parenting An Act of Service?

My husband and I were watching Elder Ballard’s talk last night titled, “Be Anxiously Engaged“. He spoke mostly of how much better the world would be if we were like the worker bees that worked together and were constantly doing our part to provide service to our fellow man. I totally agree. If we can find those people in need, and serve them, then our lives will be happier, and the world will be a better place. However, after the talk was over, I turned to my husband and asked him, “Does attending to every need my three small children … Continue reading →

Back To School Blessings

It is often a tradition in many mormon homes to give back to school blessings at the beginning of each school year. Or, at least it was in mine. I don’t remember anything that was said in those blessings, but I remember feeling peace each time my Father would lay his hands on my head and reassure me that the year would go smoothly. I remember feeling safe, and warm, and knowing that not only did my earthly Father love me, but my Heavenly Father did too. Giving your children back to school blessings is a great way to calm … Continue reading →

The Voice of Domestic Peace

Sometimes the most difficult part of becoming more like Christ, is making the small every day changes that are necessary. At least, it is for me. I have had the nagging feeling as of late that I need to be better at a lot of things. Yet, sometimes, I feel overwhelmed by the daily task of just accomplishing one of those things. Like, reading my scriptures, for example. My biggest goal right now is working on using a softer tone when I speak to my children. I read the talk, “Except the Lord Build the House…” by Gordon B. Hinkley … Continue reading →

Happy Kids

Yesterday I was in a funk of a day. I had not gotten enough sleep the night before, which always leads to me dragging all day long. I find that I struggle more with my responsibilities as a mother when I feel this way. I want to be lazy, I am not as patient, I feel bad for not keeping my kids engaged in something worthwhile. Unfortunately, I like to believe that every mother has a day or two like this now and then. We are not perfect as mothers. Some days, our kids watch a lot of TV. That … Continue reading →

Surrogacy in the LDS Church

I have close family members and friends that have struggled with infertility. Since I don’t struggle with these same issues, sometimes I feel like I have no right to comment about any of it. But, I know that this is an issue that affects many LDS families (and non-LDS families) around the world. I can only imagine that in a church like ours, whose focus is so much on the family, it can be especially hard to struggle with infertility. It is a righteous desire to want to have children. It is hard to understand why the Lord is not … Continue reading →