Families are forever

Roasting marshmallows, playing games, eating together, snowball fights, hikes, trips to the lake, Christmas traditions, telephone calls, sitting together in church, sleepovers, road trips; the list goes on and on of family memories. I am so grateful for all these wonderful times of laughter with my family. I cannot imagine a time without them in my life.

 

 

 I have a family here on earth.

They are so good to me.

I want to share my life with them through all eternity.

Families can be together forever

Through Heavenly Father’s plan.

I always want to be with my own family,

And the Lord has shown me how I can.

The Lord has shown me how I can.

 -Families Can Be Together Forever, LDS Hymns 300

 

 As I was growing up this was my favorite song to sing in church. I loved the thought of getting to be with my family forever, that our relationships with one another did not end after this life. Now, this song has come to mean even more to me as I have gained a stronger testimony of the truthfulness of that message. Heavenly Father designed a wonderful plan so that we can have the blessing of being with our families for eternity. He never meant for us to go through this life or the next alone. As we strive to live by His gospel, and attend the holy temple with our families, we WILL be with them forever. That is a promise we recieve from our loving Heavenly Father and a blessing we recieve from the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I KNOW that I can be with my family forever, and I know you and your family can receive this same blessing. This I say in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

My parents were sealed for time and all eternity in this, the Oakland, Ca temple, on Dec. 28, 1975

 

 To learn more about strengthening our families, visit: http://mormon.org/family

 

 

 

 

Good Morning!

The alarm goes off at 6:30 on the dot every single morning, and every single morning immediately following I hear "good morning!" with an impressive amount of enthusiasm considering the hour. This comes from my companion, Sister Green. She is such an example of having a positive attitude and a general enthusiasm for life. When she first became my companion, I'd mutter "morning" back while stumbling out of bed. Now, however, I've taken this as a new challenge and I try to say "good morning!" before she can. Sometimes I win, sometimes she does. But now if you were to over hear us in the morning you would hear two very enthusiastic greetings coming from a dark room, and probably worry about our sanity.
We hear the phrase "attitude is everything" all the time, and I hate to repeat what has already been said, but the realization that attitude truly is everything has really caused me to reflect. What if everyone in the world attempted to be bright and cheery the second they opened their eyes in the morning? Can you imagine how different your day would go? Think of the difference between the rude cashier and the happy one. Think of the difference between the friend who is negative all the time and the friend who is positive. Can you see what an effect small things can have? William James, a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher, wrote, “The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives." I echo William James in saying that our outer aspects truly can change as we change our attitude.
 Waking up with a bright "good morning!" contest seems small but the simple fact that we attempt to wake-up with an excitement for the new day has really affected me. Days that I have woken up with a bright attitude seem to just go better. I may still face challenges and hard work, but if I approach those with a smile, somehow, they don't have as much of a power over me. Let's all try to wake up with a "good morning!" tomorrow and attempt to change the outcome of an entire day.