Everybody has the place in their life that brings them safety and comfort. That place for me is home.
I have spoken many times about the importance of home in my life. There is always acceptance at home. You can be and act exactly how you are (and even off-the-wall silly) and you know that the love that your family has for you is unchanging. That's how it is for me anyway, for which I am eternally grateful!
As our family knelt down to pray, tonight, I looked around at Becky, Natalie, Laurel, Brady and Danny and thought about the blessing it is to have each other. As I offered the prayer, I couldn't help but think of the many gifts and talents that each individual has in our family. They use those to bless not only our lives but the lives of their friends and other people with whom they come in contact. I love that so much!
In 1995, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints made a declaration to the world. A portion of that declaration seems appropriate to share.
"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."
I believe that the success we experience in our lives will have a lot to do with the happenings inside our homes and the things that we learned and then implemented in our own lives.
I had the words to a country song enter into my mind that reminds me of times spent at home visiting with Becky and enjoying the laughter of our children. "And there ain't no place that I'd rather be, next to you sitting next to me."
Home is a piece of heaven and each one of us is entitled to that blessing.
