Skip to main content

I Believe (Part 7 in a Series): Happiness in Family Life

I've been writing a series of posts explaining my thoughts about family, based on The Family:  A Proclamation to the World.  If you missed the previous posts, they can be found here:  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6. 

Today's post focuses on a portion of the proclamation that provides a blueprint for a happy family:



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.



I actually based my 100th week of the Ten Things of Thankful post around those principles.  I also have an idea for the future that incorporates those lines.  Stay tuned! 

Today, though, let's discuss what makes a happy family.  What do you think of when you think of a happy family?  I think of a family where all members are treated with love and respect, and where each person behaves unselfishly, unified in common goals--much like President John F. Kennedy's famous line, ". . .ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country."  I think of families gathered at the dinner table, praying for a blessing on the food before enjoying a healthy meal.  I think of bedtime stories, music, and laughter.  I think of traditions and holidays and happy helpers. 

Of course, families are comprised of imperfect people, so even the best families will have moments of, "MOMMMM, she's looking at me!"  The home should be a perfect place to learn and practice repentance and forgiveness in an understanding atmosphere. 


A photograph of a father and daughter combined with the words “Everyday activities in our homes may be simple.”
source
I love that above quote:  "Everyday activities in our homes may be simple, but because they are simple, frequent, and repeated, they offer important opportunities to build individuals and families."  I hope that when my children look back over their childhoods, they remember family prayers, family home evenings, reading, singing, laughing, working, and playing together.  I hope they remember happiness.


photo visiting2_zps6d4521f3.jpg

photo ThankfulThought4_zps7d9599c2.jpg
Thanks for principles that bring happiness.

photo signature3_zps16be6bca.jpg


Pin It

Comments

Post a Comment

Conversations are so much nicer when more than one person does the talking. :-) Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts; I'd love to hear from you!

Popular posts from this blog

Ten Things of Thankful: Oregon Edition, Part 3

  A western bluebird, sitting at the base of a house window, looks inside Thanks (1) to those who have sent well-wishes for my mom's recovery. Her wrist is healing up nicely. I met a friend from high school for lunch this past week. It was so nice to have a chance to visit with her for a couple of hours. She is one of those friends who it doesn't matter how much time has passed, we can pick right back up into meaningful conversations. Lunch ended all too soon, but I'm so thankful (2) for her, and I'm thankful (3) that she reminded me of the importance of reaching out to others.  Being in my parents' home this week, visiting with a long-time (I'm not saying old!) friend, and with Mother's Day tomorrow, my mind naturally reflects upon the women in my life. I'm thankful (4) for an incredible mom--a gentle woman who taught and loved and guided us (and still does.) I'm thankful (5) for grandmas who were different in their personalities but united in their...
3 comments
Read more

Ten Things of Thankful: Live from Oregon, part 2

stock photo of old computer monitor When I was 10 or 11, I remember sitting next to my dad in our living room and reading computer code to him as he entered it into an Apple computer. We would finish the exercise and he would hit enter (or was it "run"?) and wait expectantly for the green type to appear on the screen. If we were lucky, the whole conversation would occur. Most often, there would be an error either in my dictation of the code, or in the typing of the code. We would then go painstakingly back through the lines, character by character, to find and correct the error. After what seemed like hours (and might have been), we would succeed and the computer would finally run the entire program. It was magical! My dad designed and built an earth-sheltered, passive solar home decades before solar panels were commonplace. He also was on a 9-month waiting list for a Prius, when hybrids were not seen on every street.  While my dad is definitely on the cutting edge of technol...
5 comments
Read more

Ten Things of Thankful: I Should Blog More Often

  Tall red poppies bloom against the brick remains of an old homestead A couple of weeks ago, John and I hiked in Alpine, Utah, to see the poppy gardens near the old Lambert homestead. We knew if we waited, we would miss the peak of the flowers. One minute, flowers are blooming, and the next minute, that particular floral show is over until next year.  The Ten Things of Thankful blog hop runs every week, but sometimes I miss the boat and don't get a post composed. I find, though, that those weeks that I do join in, I'm more apt to look for (and find!) the good in life--regardless of whether it was a "good" week or a "bad" week. Just as taking time to hike pays off with a beautiful view, taking the time to share ten things I'm thankful for pays off with a feeling of peace, satisfaction, and gratitude.  The past three weeks have been spent at home. It's been so nice to catch up on things here. The air conditioner cools the house again, we've taken ...
3 comments
Read more