Our Duty to God--In the Home

(An outline of a talk I gave today at our Ward Conference)

Our Duty to God begins in the home. "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" states: Husband and wife have solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "Chldren are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens whereer they live. Husbands and wives--mothers and fathers--will be held accountable before God for the sicharge of these obligations.

15 essential elements of successful families:


1--Love: God for us/us for God, husband/wife, parent/child, others, God's creations
Love is a verb. simple daily acts of kindness and respect

2--Leadership: parents united, by persuasion and righteous example, children practice

3--Liberty: agency, accountability, start with small things

4--Learning: divine nature, God's plan, communication, personal relationships, social skills, provident living/homemaking, reading/writing/math
Elder Bednar in Feb Ensign: "learn to love learning"
FHE, family prayer and scripture study, personal study, practice,
example and conversation
learn where to seek learning: prayer, personal revelation, scriptures
"out of the best books", schools and community resources

5--Literacy: reading and writing (aside from spiritual knowledge) most valuable,
home libraries should begin with scriptures, personal journals, family histories

6--Listen: to each other, words of prophets, music, The Spirit

7--Language: spoken and written, avoid foul language, encourage conversation

8--Labor: WORK, daily chores, projects, jobs, "life is work, but rewards are great"

9--Lessons: from daily life, likening the scriptures, dinner table sharing

10--Limits: laws of the land, home rules, standards, discipline and obedience,
No Limits on Dreams

11--Laugh: A LOT! cheerfulness, happiness, "Men are that they might have joy"

12--Leave out: anger, criticism, "the world". "I am safe in my home"

13--Lift: encouragement, enthusiasm, believe in each other, support and help

14--Loyalty: family ties bind us, defend each other, be best friends

15--Live: D & C 42:45 "...live together in love". continue family ties & relationships

Satan is doubling his efforts and so must we.

As we foster Love in our families, Led by united parents, Learning Lessons with our skills in Literacy and Language, Laboring together, Listening to, Laughing with and Loyally Lifting each other, we will Leave Out "the world" and make choices that bring Liberty withing the Limits the Lord has set. With this preparation in our family life, we (parents and children) can go out into the world and "not fear". We will understand our personal worth and divine potential; our confidence will "wax strong." We will have the desire and ability to "go and do as the Lord has commanded," Living to the fullest this wonderful life that our Father in Heaven has given us, fulfilling our duty here on earth, and returning to Him with honor.

Waiting

We're all experienced at waiting. We wait for dinner to be ready, school to get over, the baby to be born. We wait for getting a drivers license, going on a first date, graduating from high school. We wait to be thinner or older or richer. We wait at the doctor's office or the gas station or the motor vehicle registration office. We wait.

We wait for something that may happen, but might not happen. We wait for things that are good and things that are not so good. We wait for a push or a pull in one direction or another. We wait for an idea or plan, encouragement or warning. We wait to be smarter or stronger. We wait until we have the right job or the kids are grown or we've retired. We wait.

The problem with waiting is that while waiting we go nowhere, help no one, reach for little and accomplish less. We feel no peace or joy. We just wait.

"God is...experienced at waiting. When we're struggling through problems here on earth, trying to cope with the trials that block our way home, He longingly waits for us to turn to Him. He watches our stories unfold and waits for us to acknowledge His plan for our lives." (Barbara Johnson)

One blessing in my life is an understanding of God's plan for me. I know who I am and where I'm going. I have learned to confidently step ahead on the path He has set forth for me. I don't need to wait for the walls in my way to be moved; I seek His help and climb over them. I don't need to wait for courage when I feel fear; I seek His help and conquer the foe. I don't need to wait around for someone to push me along; I seek His strength to increase my own.

Of course, I'm nowhere near perfect and occasionally I find myself waiting when I should be moving along. Sometimes I doubt and question and wait when I should be trusting and believing and moving down the path. But I am learning. I am waiting less and seeking Him more.

I don't want God to wait on me. I find much more joy and peace in running to Him as I try to follow the path that will lead me to an eternal home with Him.

You should try it. Don't wait.

Sienna Mae Weske

Sarah and Jon brought home their new baby yesterday. She is Sienna Mae Weske; born Thursday February 4 2010, 6 lbs 6 oz, 19 inches long. She is beautiful with flawless skin, a head full of very dark hair, and long eyelashes.

She has opened her eyes only once for me and I almost caught it.

She is tiny, petite in every way, perfect.

Sienna is our number 13 grandchild, loved and wanted, sure to be doted upon by all of us. She is a welcome miracle in our wonderful, fast-growing family. Welcome to Earth, Sienna!

The Value of a Smile

They might not need me;
but they might.
I'll let my head be just in sight.
A smile as small as mine might be
precisely their necessity.
(Emily Dickinson)

I was leading the music today in Relief Society. (I lead the music every week in Relief Society.) Anyway, we were singing a hymn called "We Are All Enlisted." It is an exuberant song full of encouragement and enthusiasm and hope. Over and over it repeats the words "happy are we, happy are we." The song is full of words like "there's a bright crown in store" and "glad to join" and "sing as we go" and "we're joyfully marching." I purposely choose songs like this one each week to lighten the mood and draw attention to the blessing we enjoy of being a part of this great organization and to help us feel the joy the gospel brings into our lives.

But today I looked out over a room full of my dear sisters and realized that few, if any, were smiling. Heads were down. Many didn't sing at first. Several women seemed distracted, even distressed, somewhere else. I doubled my efforts. I tried to look at each sister individually and smile my love to them. I was rewarded with smiles in return. More voices joined in. Faces looked up and countenances brightened.

By the time the song ended, I felt a change in the room. There was unity and a cheerful peace. We were ready to begin, ready to share and ready to learn. While I know there is power in the music itself, today I saw the value of a simple smile. It was precisely my necessity.

JURY DUTY

Yes. It was my turn this week. I've been called up several times over the years, but never actually served on a jury. This time was different.

The county court is 45 miles away in Kemmerer. My car is in the shop. It was snowing, of course. There were six people called up from Cokeville. So I figured I could catch a ride, and I did. They were looking for a six people jury and I was number 13 (yeah, I know...I should have known). After all the questioning and the attorneys using their challenges, etc., I was the last of the six to be picked, and the only one from Cokeville. A quick scramble resulted in one very generous soul leaving their vehicle for me to drive home later (THANK YOU REBEKAH) and I began an educational day as a member of a jury in a criminal case.

The details of the court are not particularly important and the entire court session was completed by evening that day (we stayed through the dinner hour to finish deliberations so we wouldn't need to come back the next day). But I learned a lot...about Wyoming law, about jury responsibility, about court protocol, about "presumed innocence" and "reasonable doubt", about the limitations of our court system and also it's wonderful possibilities. I gained an appreciation for the tireless service given by police officers, judges, clerks and public defenders. I learned a bit about patience and attention to detail. I made some new friends of those others on the jury. I found a new place for lunch (The Busy Bee) and enjoyed the wares of the local bakery (great snickerdoodles).

Many people took care of business here at home to make my day in court possible. Bill gave me a ride to Kemmerer. BranDee not only cleaned rooms at the motel, but delivered my mail and took care of coordinating our wolf den setting up for the Pinewood Derby. Sarah took my place visiting teaching and then manned the office until that evening and she also directed the derby! Marlene manned the office after Sarah, until Mariah made it home and took over. Rebekah Roberts, bless her heart, donated her vehicle so I could get home.

All in all, it was an exhausting day I will long remember. If you get called to jury duty, just smile and go. We really are blessed to live in this great land and we all need to do our part to make our judicial system work.

Just a side note: I made it home before the derby was over. It was a fun time and our track survived again to be used another day. I'm getting pretty efficient at setting it up and taking it down, too.

Finding Joy

I bought myself a new daily thought calendar for the year. It is by Barbara Johnson and contains thoughts from her book "I Don't Suffer From Insanity...I Enjoy Every Minute of it." I knew it was the right one for me when I read the thought on January 1st: "Deliberately choose to look for joy in every step of your journey through life and to share it with others. When you do, you will be blessed with happiness no matter what your circumstances are." So I decided to use her upbeat ideas to inspire and motivate me throughout the coming year.

Yesterday this first thought proved to be very applicable. Mariah and I spent Friday afternoon searching for a prom dress in Utah County and then the night at Sandy's place visiting and sleeping on their couches. It was delightful. The next morning we shared breakfast with Jason, Aubrey, Mikayla and Mom and then went to the movies in an actual theater (as opposed to the usual ones where your feet stick to the floor and the seat is broken). This was also delightful.

As we left the theater, we got word that Sarah was again having early labor pains and was driving to Evanston Hospital. So we headed for home. All went smoothly until we were just out of the canyons about ten miles out of Evanston. We heard a noise; the temperature gauge dropped and the light came on; steam began streaming out of the hood. We immediately pulled over to assess the damage and determine our course.

Now here's where the "looking for joy in every step" part comes into play!

We were joyful that we were at an exit where we could get off the freeway. We were REALLY joyful that we actually had cell service (in this place that there is NEVER cell service). We rejoiced that we have AAA and they were able to send a tow truck. We found joy in all the people who stopped to offer assistance (one car staying a long time, just to make sure that we were not without help). We enjoyed the pleasant, efficient tow truck driver who came to our aid. We were happy that a hungry mechanic was still in his new shop late on a Saturday evening as the car was towed into town. We were especially joyful that Sarah had had some early labor (that they were able to stop again and give the baby time to grow a bit more), so that she and Jon were already in Evanston and able to give us a ride home to Cokeville.

Yes. We found joy in every step of that adventure and today have to smile about how it all happened. Now we just have to remember that advice when the mechanic calls this week with the damage report! But no matter what, I am determined to live that advice and "find joy in every step" of the year ahead.

Christmas

Christmas is always fun at our house. But it was especially fun to have little ones with us on Christmas this year, even though it took a Herculean effort on Melody's part to travel the distance with three little ones by herself.


Christmas Eve PJ's (Blake was already gone to bed!). We haven't been to bed so early on Christmas Eve before. It was great.

Santa Claus left stacks of presents. Braxton and Blake had to thoroughly enjoy each thing in their stocking before we moved on to the others. Madison preferred the wrappings!

Mariah got a new friend and some tunes for her ipod.







Rock Band and the new seesaw were the biggest hits with the kids. We had a great day visiting with each other and Jason's and Sarah's families. Phones calls between us and the rest of the family topped off the day. Merry Christmas to all.