My Testimony of Families

I was asked by the Relief Society to comment on this month's Visiting Teaching message for their newsletter. I thought I would post it in hopes that it gives peace to others facing struggles with their families.

Being a mother is the most difficult job on the earth. It is also the most rewarding job on the earth. And I know that as we come closer to the Second Coming, mothering is going to become even harder. The great thing about this hard job is that Heavenly Father has given us easy guidelines to help us be successful. I have reared five children and now have almost eleven grandchildren. It hasn’t been easy. If you have lived in the ward long enough, you will know there were some scary times for me as a mother. But I have been very blessed to have my wandering children wander back home before I anticipated that they might return. I take no credit for their return but I do feel strongly that we were blessed as a family because we made the choice to incorporate the following in our routine -- We read as a family each morning from the Book of Mormon and followed up with a family prayer. We knelt in prayer as a family at the end of each day. We held Family Home Evening. We served together. We worked together. We played together. We went to church together. The key word is “together.” The willingness level often left something to be desired, but we were together as a family.

There were times that I wondered if my children would return but I knew that I would be blessed through my desire to be obedient. I clung to this doctrine taught by Joseph Smith “....the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will return. They will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins; and may tread a thorny path; but if it leads them at last, like the penitent Prodigal to a loving and forgiving father’s heart and home, the painful experience will not have been in vain. Pray for your careless and disobedient children; hold onto the with your faith. Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God” (CR, 4-29, p.110).

Serving as a Sealing Room Host in the Draper Temple this past month reinforced my love for Heavenly Father’s divine plan for families. Now I look forward to supporting my children in their role as parents. I anticipate they will have some tough times but I know they will be blessed if they make the choice to follow Heavenly Father’s guidelines. I am grateful for the Atonement. I am grateful our Savior makes up the difference after all we can do. I have seen His hand in my life and in the lives of my children. I am grateful to be a wife, a mother, and a grandmother!

Pama and Papa and Ten

If you know me, you know I love being around my family....it is the best place to be! At our last family gathering we attempted to take a picture with Pama and Papa and all our grandchildren. It was fun for us. Some of the kids didn't mind and some of them hated it. You can pretty much determine their personality types by the way they responded to my request for a photo. But we're all together on one couch for one minute and I have a memory I won't soon forget.

New mommies with new babies

We had a family dinner last Sunday at Clay and Jen's home. Here are the newest additions to our family. They are three weeks apart and I'm sure they will become great friends as they grow up together.

New Calling

What could be as good as working with 20 plus teenage girls? How about ten -- nine and ten year old girls in Primary? But I have to admit I'm a bit selfish. I wish I had them for Activity Days and that I taught every Sunday. I'm so excited to get to know them and fill my life with again with girls and giggles.

Draper Utah Temple Openhouse Assignments

Our turn to help with the temple openhouse is over and done. It was a remarkable opportunity. David spent his two shifts directing traffic into one of the four stake centers used for the starting point of the tour. Gratefully the weather held. It was cold and windy part of the time but it never rained or snowed on him. My first shift was to help in the reception area with the food (cookies and water). I was on the early shift -- starting at 7:00 a.m. Tours began at 8:30 a.m. We stocked shelves and filled trays and then sat on the stage, behind the curtain, for most of the rest of three hours. There wasn't alot of cookie traffic that early in the morning. My second shift was what I affectionately call, "Tour Guide Barbie." I rode on a bus that took 55 people to the temple. During the six minute ride I read a prepared script about temple work and the new temple. It took about 25-30 minutes for a round trip from stake center to temple and back. I probably did eight trips. It was much more interactive and interesting. I did learn not to wear a broomstick skirt on windy days.
After bus and parking lot duty we spent a couple more hours inside the temple helping visitors enter and leave the sealing rooms. I loved watching their faces as they came out.


Our very very favorite assignment was being Sealing Room Hosts. David and I did this together. We had about three minutes per group to explain the purpose for sealing rooms in the temples. David spoke of the sealing power given to Peter by the Savior. I followed by sharing what being sealed to my sweetheart and my family meant to us. We then invited them to look in the mirrors for a glimpse of eternity. We figured we were able to share our feelings about eternal families to over 800 people. I love the temple! I get to be with my family forever!

This is what I got for Valentines....

David and I planned "no gifts" for Valentines this year. Instead we wanted crab and seafood for dinner--preferably at Market Street Grill. We knew we had to go early to beat the Valentine rush so we planned for an early dinner. As we were walking out the door, Talya called and informed us that she was at the hospital being checked. So we modified our plans. We decided upon McGrath's in case we had to make a quick departure. It was good we changed plans. If the waiter had been on top of things we probably would have had time to eat. Instead we changed our order to takeout of clam chowder and crab and artichoke appetizer and we ate on the road to Ogden. We weren't too disappointed because we knew that Ogden Regional's famous cheese fries were waiting.

We arrived at the hospital around 6:30 p.m. and watched Tessa Marjorie enter the world at 8:38 p.m. She was a bit stubborn about turning and making things easier but in the last push she flew out and just about slipped through the midwife's hands. Talya used hypnobirthing again and did a fabulous job! I am so amazed at how easily she has babies. But considering how hard her pregnancies are, she deserves an easy childbirth. Tessa was 6 pounds 4 ounces and 19 inches long.