Reclaiming our families

"The most important of the Lord's work you and I will ever do will be within the walls of your own home."       Religious leader Harold B. Lee       Over the next two years, my husband and I will teach a 10-week Marriage and Family relations course to 6-8 married couples from our church congregation. (That equates to over 8 sessions and over 80 lessons.) The course is designed by our faith leaders and not only includes scriptures, but powerful stories and quotes from successful couples. Personal integration and discussion is a large part of the class.

One wonders if our 25-year-marriage qualifies us to instruct participants on this topic

.....or.....

 if after 25 years (and 4 children), we need to be reminded 50 times of what we are 

"Not" doing! 

Either scenario, preparing and presenting weekly discussions has caused us to reflect on the nature of our marriage. 

                                         ........And propelled us to work on........

“Marriage, in its truest sense, is a partnership of equals, with neither exercising dominion over the other, but, rather, with each encouraging and assisting the other in whatever responsibilities and aspirations he or she might have”   Gordon B. Hinckley

“Determine that there will never be anything that will come between you that will disrupt your marriage. Make it work. Resolve to make it work. There is far too much of divorce, wherein hearts are broken and sometimes lives are destroyed. Be fiercely loyal one to another”  Hinckley

“Love is like a flower, and, like the body, it needs constant feeding.  Spencer W. Kimball

 “No one makes us mad. Others don’t make us angry. There is no force involved. Becoming angry is a conscious choice, a decision; therefore, we can make the choice not to become angry. We choose!” 

john 13:33-34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye ^alove one another; as I have loved you, that ye also ^blove one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have^a  love one to another.

“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.”  Proclamation on the Family

“‘Ceaseless pinpricking,’can deflate almost any marriage. … Generally each of us is painfully aware of our weaknesses, and we don’t need frequent reminders. Few people have ever changed for the better as a result of constant criticism or nagging.    Kimball

Daily reminders of the above principles can be broken down into a simple and effective visual which we share with our class participants.

This hangs on our fridge and reminds my husband and I, and our 4 children, of the importance of our family unit. 

After teaching this class, we should be good to go for another 25 years!