s.s.s. no. 5

i cannot believe it's been an entire week since my last post! there will definitely be a couple in the week to come to catch everyone up, this week has just been super busy!

so for today's something spiritual there is only one thing on my mind: family.

for the past 4 days matt and i have been in florida with my family, staying with my aunt and uncle and 3 cousins and spending a day with my parents and grandmother. this coming weekend my parents and grandparents plus matt's parents are all coming for the weekend! i can't wait!!

this past weekend was just such a wonderful few days, and as always, way too short! all i could think of the whole time was how blessed we are to have families. to have people around us whole love and support us no matter what, it's amazing. just hearing their loving words and talking to them about things on our mind and having nothing but love poured back out to us is truly awesome.

the most amazing blessing in my life is undoubtedly my family and even more than that, the fact that we are an eternal family. in the LDS church, we believe that families continue after this life and into the next. we truly believe families are forever. the family is, in my opinion, the central unit in our religion and the thing that everything is based on, after our love and belief in our Savior, Jesus Christ, and our Heavenly Father.

i cannot say enough for how blessed i am to have my family. i also cannot express my belief in what they family is and what it's role in the Father's plan is any better than the leaders of the LDS church have in the document The Family: A Proclamation to the World. so although it not short, it also not long, and i would love for you to read it. i have pasted it below.

just know that nothing in this world can replace family relationships. president david o. mckay, former president of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, said "no other success can compensate for failure in the home". i know this to be true. i am who i am because i was raised by MY parents, who are wonderful amazing people and did everything they could for katie and me to turn out to be good and happy people. i am eternally indebted to them and i believe the way i pay them back is when i am fortunate enough to have children of my own, i raise them the right way and love them and support them as much as my parents did me. that way this cycle is a great one that benefits the world and those around them.

i hope we can all take time to thank our families for everything they have done for us and to thank our Heavenly Father for the blessing of putting us into family units here on this earth. i am going to try to show and express my gratitude this week. thanks for reading and please, take the time to read the pasted proclamation below. whether it will be your first or one hundred and first time reading it, it's worth the few minutes of your day it will take. it is inspired and true.

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

In 1995, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles issued “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” This proclamation is a declaration and reaffirmation of doctrines and practices that prophets have stated repeatedly throughout the history of the Church. It contains principles that are vital to the happiness and well-being of every family. Family members should study the proclamation and should live by its precepts.

“We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

“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. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

“In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

“The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

“We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.

“Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. ‘Children are an heritage of the Lord’ (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

“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.

“We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

“We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society”