The sweet song of family
My brother and his family came to town! One of my favorite moments of the trip was in between scheduled plans … when all six sweeties sat together on a swing and we began to sing … “I am a Child of God …” then “Teach me to Walk” and then “Families Can Be Together Forever” … the tender tunes fluttered through the air … a few of the kiddos sang out loud with me, but the majority sank into that swing and closed their eyes … back and forth, being rocked in comfort by the melody and family surrounding them. I guess that sums up the feeling of their visit: comfort in the sweet song of family.
As we each face our battles … whether spiritually, physically, emotionally, etc … we can feel the enabling power that comes from family bonds. Our forever family knows us so well – and they still love us! They accept our quirks and our annoying habits, they rally behind us when life gets tough and they run to lift us when we fall.
No wonder the Gospel of Jesus Christ and family go hand-in-hand.
“The ultimate purpose of every teaching, every activity in the Church is that parents and their children are happy at home, sealed in an eternal marriage, and linked to their generations,” said Boyd K. Packer, who recently passed away. (“The Father and the Family,” April 1994, General Conference)
I am ever thankful that families can be sealed in the temple, so they can be together forever, through time and all eternity. It brings unspeakable joy to see generations linked together in love and faith, and singing the sweet songs of the Gospel.
And just for the record, these are regular sweet and silly kiddos … who can be incredibly difficult to take pictures of:
