December 8, 2015 - Tuesday in Nauvoo

It was sure good to get back home and back into our routine of eating healthy and getting our exercise.  We were up early this morning and grateful to get back into this routine.  Mom was up by 3:45am!  Wow!  I got up at 5:00am and we had our morning devotional and prayers.  At about 5:45am we were off on our morning walk.  It was 36 degrees when we left and there was no breeze.  I warmed up pretty quick and then reviewed my lines in the Editors role.  However, Rendezvous did not happen tonight because there were no tickets handed out!  At any rate it was a great way to start the day!

Mom and I got to the Visitor's center at 8:40am to get things going.  We had the morning shift and it was really, really quiet today.  I showed only one film during our shift and I think mom may have shown only two.  Like I said, it was very quiet today.

After our shift we walked uptown and looked for some Christmas stickers.  I am in the process of writing out the Christmas letters to all our grandchildren.  I decided to share with each of them one of my favorite Christmas memories unique to each grandchild.  Christmas was always a wonderful season for me.  I credit that to my mom and my Nana who took such good care of us when my dad passed away.  I shutter to think how things could have turned out without these precious ladies in my life!

Is it any wonder that the Savior of the world was blessed with such a wonderful mother?  And is it any wonder that mothers are such tremendous blessings in the lives of their children as they are fully engaged in their children's lives? I think that my mother and my Nana were well ahead of the time that the Family Proclamation represented some 40+ years later!

The Family

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A Proclamation to the World

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

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 worshipped 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 their divine destiny as heirs 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” (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 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.

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

I was blessed to have a mother whose primary purpose was to care for her children.  When my dad died, I was again blessed when "extended family members" gave her the support she so vitally needed and as I so vitally needed!  When I look back on what may have been, had I not had a loving earthly parent and a loving Heavenly Parent watching over me, I stand all amazed at His love.  Certainly a time for gratitude and reflection during this wonderful time of year!

With those two special ladies, and so many others in my life, how grateful I am for my sweetheart who has been so patient and supportive of me.  Mom has picked up exactly where these first precious ladies left off, and she has been such a blessing to me. As an imperfect and very mortal human being, how is it that I have been so blessed?

Merry Christmas!  Thank you for checking in with me tonight!