Hi everyone! I know it’s been a long time! Life has been cruising at the speed of light for these last couple of years. You haven’t heard from me much– not because I have abandoned this blog, and you too. Mostly, this blog was movedto the back burner as I needed to put my whole heart and soul and every part of me into my family. In the time I have been away, I have been pregnant and had my fifth baby. I have also kept the home fire going for my family while my husband finished his medical residency in dermatology. He is done now (HOORAY!!!) and is now a practicing cosmetic dermatology in Arizona.

I have been taking a class on marriage from Brigham University Idaho on marriage and family. I believe that the most important thing I will ever do in this life is work to have a strong marriage and family. Believe me when I say we are a work in progress, just like all of us, right? But I feel very strongly the importance of “shouting from the rooftops” the importance of marriage and family. Our world is beginning to forget this essential part of life and I am throwing my hat in the ring to help educate people further this crucial building block of life.

I will be sharing a new blog post every week on a different aspect of marriage and family life. In order for us to understand the divine necessity of marriage and family life, I would like to share a document called The Family- A Proclamation to the World. Substantial research has been done on the importance of the family. It seems as though the world is falling away from this ideal– that is what it is. Within a family is created the ideal setting for children to learn and grow and become who they need to become. Families are suffering due to many factors, often some beyond their control. It is crucial that we safeguard our family relationships and put them first above all else. That we stand and whether the storms of life together, even though it is hard and  may seem beyond reach. So how do we do it? To quote the proclamation, “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. ”

The happiness of our marriages and family will never look like perfection– but the most beautiful moments may be found in the forgiveness, the work, the hard, the kneeling to pray in desperation when you feel like you cannot go on. That is where we will find the answers and the strength to go forward, love deeper, and link arms to keep going. We are made stronger in our weaknesses.

Whether you have your own family that is trying to weather the storms of life together, or your family is “broken” (whatever that looks like for you), or maybe your upbringing is/was less than ideal— maybe you don’t want to have a family because you feel like this world is a terrible place to bring children into? Whatever it is, I know that the greatest and most lasting joy will be found in keeping your loved ones close, having the faith to find the right one, and looking to God and relying on Him to guide you as you steer your family though this life. You can break the chains that you had to endure. You can be a gift to the generations that follow you.