🎃 October

• Cuddle and read to the boys every day!
• Child, you’re going to be fine. I’m not worried about you. 

Relay that message and believe it. Believe it for yourself as well. 

• Heavenly father never worries about us.

Most important things to teach children:

• plan of happiness & salvation (gratitude, hope, charity, trust, generosity 
• How to receive personal revelation (obedience, language of the spirit, humility 

• The single most important thing I can teach my children is to have their own connection with their Savior. 
• He gave it to me. Meaning, I’ve always had a testimony of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost and the plan of salvation and HF gave that to me to get through my childhood. 
• Whether perceived or real (mostly perceived) my childhood was awful. 
• Sit. Read. Listen. Visit. Ask questions. Tell new stories. Answer questions. Still not super. 

It’s amazing to see HFs hand in the lives of our children. B Brown

More happiness awaits you than you have ever experienced as you labor among His children.  1st Presidency in Preach my Gospel. 

HF doesn’t just want us to be nice or kind, he puts us through the furnace of affliction to help us have steal Fortitude. -Michele R

Strive as you may,

You cannot miss it in your way.

All paths that have been, or shall be,

Pass somewhere through Gethsemane.

All those who journey, soon or late,

Must pass within the garden's gate;

Must kneel alone in darkness there,

And battle with some fierce despair.

God pity those who can not say,

"Not mine but thine," who only pray,

"Let this cup pass," and cannot see

The purpose in Gethsemane. -Wilcox

Sometimes we worry about our children when maybe we should worry about ourselves instead. They’re great. 

“We are highly favored of the Lord.”

Purposes of the Aaronic Priesthood 

1. Become converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ and live by its teachings.

2. Serve faithfully in priesthood callings and fulfill the responsibilities of priesthood offices.

3. Give meaningful service.

4. Prepare and live worthily to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and temple ordinances.

5. Prepare to serve an honorable full-time mission.

6. Obtain as much education as possible.

7. Prepare to become a worthy husband and father.

8. Give proper respect to women, girls, and children.

Sometimes let your kids in on your little worship secrets, so they can follow in your footsteps. 

Mike’s council:

“Rather than turning away and burning bridges, I like to see how I can help them.”

“More generous, feeding people, not keeping score, having people over.”

Caterpillar Kisses: eyebrows 

“I believe the way we see others significantly impacts their perception of who they are and what they can become. Our new missionaries sat on adult chairs that day.

Sometimes, I fear, we figuratively give our young men of the Aaronic Priesthood children’s chairs to sit on rather than helping them see that God has given them a sacred trust and a vital work to do.” -Holmes 

“Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other” -Poor Richard

Can the Master touch others’ lives through you and me? Oh yes, he can, and he will if we will just do our part. 

Oh, that every parent, teacher, and Church leader would know that we can bless each other when we administer the Savior’s touch to the benefit of our fellowmen.

Ballard 

You don’t receive rock-ribbed assurance of the Gospel by osmosis. -Truman G. Madsen

I’d like to tell you that a person is never nearer the Lord than when he is reaching out, Savior-like, to bring another soul to Christ. Reeve, jr

We can see evidence of the Lord love everywhere.

Battle with energy each childish fault. p278

“All are redeemable”

Take counsel from your strengths not your weaknesses. 

The wishbone is never stronger than the backbone. 

In most cases, the hatred and spite we hold against others are worse than the sins committed against us. 

Work. 

Negatively micro-focusing on something small. 

3-week text: is this going to be a big deal then?

“We must teach our children by example and tell them that an unselfish spirit is essential to happiness” -packer ‘97

“They (my parents) provided a beautiful place for me to figure out who I was.” Tamara 

Family team approach. 

Stacy told me she forgave me today. As satiated as my pride feels, pleased as I am to have good feelings with her again, to not have to avoid her gaze anytime I see her, or to feel that way on my shoulders, I can’t say I feel totally relieved. In fact, with this comes a whole  other set of worries and anxieties for me. I have made some phenomenal friends in the last year. Friends a friendship with her has kept me from having. Additionally, James has made friends as well. Real friends. Ones that can see outside of themselves and their own needs and worries and are capable of reaching out to him. Friends that complement him and help him to be a little bit better. 

• It’s taken a year to get to this point. Give it time. 

Saints: if anyone doubts the right of Brigham to manage the affairs for the Saints, all I have to say to them is this: Get the Spirit of God and know for yourselves. The Lord will provide for His own Emily Hoyt 

Sister Pratt,” a friend said one day after she voiced her feelings, “they expect you to be smart enough to go yourself without help, and even to assist others.”

Louisa thought about that for a moment. “Well,” she said, “I will show them what I can do.”

• Put Mike 1st. Before the boys. His well-being, comfort, and keeping his pride in tact are all more important than those of the boys.

Help him to feel good about himself. Take his side and stay on his team. 

• How grateful I am that the Lord has blessed me with a believing heart and mind. By nature I’m a little bit guarded and close-minded. For some reason my father is giving me the gift of testimony and believing. 

Accepting daughter in laws

• Maybe that’s why I gave you so many boys. 

You’re nice. 

• I am nice to everyone (love everyone)

• James, I promise you that you will learn to love yourself. 

Put in the work to “renew” your marriage. 

You don’t always get what you want, but you get what you need (ex: children). 

Our desire to “always have his Spirit” with us will push fear aside for a more eternal view of our mortal lives.

Our love of God counters all fears, and His love abounds in holy places.

Optimism, courage, even charity come from a heart not burdened by troubles or turmoil.

There were conflicting thoughts that surged through my mind--seeming voices saying: ‘You can’t do the work. You are not worthy. You have not the ability’--and always finally came the triumphant thought: ‘You must do the work assigned--you must make yourself able, worthy and qualified.’ And the battle raged on.”

I take heart from that purehearted testimony of this Apostle who would become the 12th President of this mighty Church. He recognized he had to put behind him his fears to “do the work assigned” and that he had to rely on the Lord for the strength to make himself “able, worthy and qualified.” We can too. The battles will rage on, but we will face them with the Spirit of the Lord. We will “be not troubled” because when we stand with the Lord and stand for His principles and His eternal plan, we are standing on holy ground.

Yes, we live in perilous times, but as we stay on the covenant path, we need not fear.

Renlund 

When we stand in holy places we 1) find answers to questions that trouble us or 2) the peace to simply set them aside. That is the Spirit in action. -Renlund 

Love what the Lord loves--which includes His commandments, His holy houses, our sacred covenants with Him, the sacrament each Sabbath day, our communication through prayer--and you will not be troubled. -Renlund

To receive personal revelation, we must place priority on living the gospel and encouraging faithfulness and spirituality in others as well as ourselves. Renlund 

Bednar:

The Sunday meeting schedule was not simply shortened. Rather, we now have increased opportunities and responsibilities as individuals and families to use our time for enhancing the Sabbath as a delight at home and at church.

“You have that (personal flaw) because otherwise you might not turn to me.”

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland urged:

“Hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes. …

“… In this Church, what we know will always trump what we do not know.”

• Yeah, well, it’s not my job to worry about him (Scott Sackett). My job is to love him.
• It’s all about our seed. Being a strong link in the chain. 

“All great works are intergenerational.” -Poet

Instead of praying to not be blessed with riches, pray for a heart able to receive and to share them. 

I can imagine our ancestors praying for us on the other side of the veil.

• When it’s time for James (or any of our kids) to be on medication, it will fall into place.