The joys of family associations

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Saturday Morning Session of the April 1990 Conference.

My nephew got married last week and I got to see ALL THREE of my brothers and their wives at the wedding! It was wonderful. The last time we were all together was at my Dad's funeral eleven years ago. I wish we had chances to see each other more often.

I usually think about my own children when I read about "the family," but maybe because of being with my brothers and mom so recently, I read this quote from Elder Rex D. Pinegar thinking of them:

Our Heavenly Father has organized us into families for the purpose of helping us successfully meet the trials and challenges of life. The home also exists to bless us with the joys and privileges of family associations. Our family is our safety place, our support network, our sanctuary, and our salvation. 

Our homes should be “the strong place to which children can come for the anchor they need in this day of trouble and turmoil,” said President Harold B. Lee.  

…[And Dr. Paul Pearsall said] “No matter what the form of your family, from single-parent household to the largest multi-generation family in your town, your work at keeping families together is the job of saving our world.”

As we drove home from the wedding reception, my boys were all talking about how nice my brothers are. "They're not that much alike," one of my sons said. "But they're all so nice and so fun to talk to. It's rare you meet people who are so much the type of people we like." I wanted to shake him and yell, "Yes! Don't you see? This is how sibling relationships can be! Brothers don't have to be constantly arguing with each other and trying to show how wrong each others' viewpoints are all the time! You just have to be NICE to each other and then it's not so very difficult to like each other!"

I hope they will learn that for themselves someday! I feel blessed to have come from such a good family myself. One of my greatest wishes is that ALL my children will someday be friends with and grateful for each other! I'm not sure it's possible in a big family…but I hope so!

Other posts in this series:

The Name of the Church and a Prophetic Call Fulfilled—by Daniel Ortner

Big and Small Things—by Nathaniel Givens

Family Traditions are a Pillar of Freedom—by G.

Valuing our religious freedom—by Jan Tolman