The Formula for a (Practically) Perfect Family

Many of you have probably seen Norman Rockwell's painting of a family at Thanksgiving... but I bet you didn't know the family behind the picture-perfect family..... World, meet my best friends... ( I know it may be tempting to only look at the pictures and not read the text, but I promise that the text is even better than the pictures:).

At Temple Square (and many other LDS Temple Visitor Centers) there is a a beautiful video about a family called, "God's Plan for Families". It is a nice presentation that portrays our beliefs about families and our roles as men and women from THIS DOCUMENT. I have seen this presentation HUNDREDS of times (I could probably act it all out for you if you want) and a common comment I would hear at the end of the presentation was,

"Well that was nice, but this is too ideal... 

no one has a family this perfect..."

I would always respond that this was the goal and although we might not reach that point in this life, in the Eternities we could have families like this. 

It wasn't until I took my Grandma through the presentation just a month after my Grandpa (her husband) had passed away that it dawned on me.

This kind of family is perfectly achievable in this life.

I can say that I KNOW that because

MY family is like that!

From the document I mentioned earlier, The Family: A Proclamation to the World, I quote, 

"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 have amazing parents! I'm sure they could tell you in even more detail about how to have a (practically) perfect family, but I am going to share from my perspective some of the many things they did RIGHT.

My home has always been a haven.

 I have never questioned that Mom and Dad loved one another, nor have I ever questioned that they loved me. Mom took the time to take me to violin lessons (and even practice with me daily... in addition to all my sisters) and school activities, taught me how to cook and clean, and gave us the license to be creative and use our minds, and explore. Dad took the time to teach us how to throw a football and a baseball, how to change a tire, the oil, and the brake pads in our car, how to build walls and figure out how to do things you have never done before.  

More importantly my mom taught me how to be compassionate and how to serve others willingly. How to speak kindly of others and the importance of prayer, faith, integrity, and how to trust the Lord. My Dad taught me what it means to be loved and respected as a daughter of God. He taught me to find the joy in life and what true humility and sacrifice are. 

My parents always made our family the first priority. I remember them forcing  gently encouraging all 6 of us into the car to go to another sisters concert or basketball game or talent show or whatever important event or achievement that we could show them our support at. As we grew older we learned to make things that were important to one another important to us because we loved on another. We may have murmured then, but now we pine for the opportunities to be there for one another. My sister even surprised me by making a huge sacrifice to come to my university graduation (see the picture on the left). The joy I felt in this moment was so great I finished all my finals early so I could surprise my little sister at her high school Graduation 

(see picture below).

All of these things have been important to shaping this (practically) perfect family, but I think the most important thing my parents did right was making Jesus Christ the center of our lives and our home. We gathered together as a family every night and read from the Book of Mormon and prayed together as a family. On Monday evenings we gathered together to learn about the teachings of Jesus Christ, and also to play games and enjoy our time together. On Sunday we would dress in our nicest clothes and go to church. My parents taught us values. It was important to them that we were people of integrity who were kind, loving, smart, respectful, hard workers, good examples, and who valued the important things in life like family and service and God. Doesn't mean that we always lived those things perfectly but they set the example and helped us set standards for ourselves. They wanted us to really understand who we were- divine children of God. All of these things were not taught by forcing us or punishing us, but rather through their love and example. My parents don't fight, they always work hand-in-hand with each other and with God.

In that God's Plan presentation about the families I mentioned earlier the Dad asks his young wife what the most important things they could teach their children and she answers, 

"That she is loved, that she's a child of God, and that we can be together forever!"

I consider myself lucky. I not only have a Loving Heavenly Father, but I also have a loving Earthy Father, Mother, sisters, Bro-in-laws, nieces, and nephews.... and I when I say that they are my best friends, I mean it! The hardest part about going on a mission was leaving this behind for a year and a half..... weddings, birthdays, new babies, funerals, graduations... everything! BUT I did so because my parents taught me that I am loved, that I am a child of God, and that we can be together FOREVER. I know that my family will be together forever and it is important to me that other people know that they can be with their family too. I know that a home that is centered on the teachings of Jesus Christ will produce a family that loves each other and where true happiness abides! I love my family and I feel so blessed to be with them for eternity!