A big thank you to Gail Wasden for her beautiful display of antique photographs taken of sealed ancestors as a visual for her lovely presentation of today's lesson: The Family Can Be Eternal. Today we were reminded that: "The family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children" and, that when we make and keep covenants in the temple, our families will be united eternally as husband, wife, and children. President David O. McKay said, "With all my heart I believe that the best place to prepare for... eternal life is in the home. At home, with our families, we can learn self-control, sacrifice, loyalty, and the value of work." How do we create a home where such qualities exist? The Lord counsels us in D&C 88:119: "Organize yourselves, prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God."
I was raised in a home that was dysfunctional enough that I had no desire to get married nor to have a family of my own. I did, however, always long to be a part of other families that seemed to enjoy one another's company. It was through the examples of others that I realized that it was possible for a positive home environment to exist. The Lord has tutored me as often as I have asked for instructions as to how I may best put my house in order, whether I was single, in a new marriage, or trying to balance my life in raising three children. I know that He desires to instruct and bless us in every stage of life that we may find ourselves and that He is as interested in our personal progression as He is in the progression of a family unit.
