For my family's family home evening this past Monday night, I chose two of BYUTV's amazing Turning Point episodes for us to watch: San Pasqual Academy and The Clarks.
After watching those two inspiring videos on my own, I felt so strongly that my children absolutely needed to learn life lessons from those sweet children in California's foster care system, and especially from the wonderful Clark family. And I knew that our family home evening was the perfect opportunity for us to learn together! 😊
While those Turning Point episodes show the immense value of solid/good personal relationships, they especially point out the vast importance of families—which begin from having good parents (and grandparents, whenever possible)!
When my family finished watching San Pasqual Academy and The Clarks, Greg and I had a fairly long conversation with our children about life.
Greg and I reminded our children how incredibly blessed we are to have each other in our very own eternal family! We already have everything those darling foster-care children were seeking and desired so deeply within their lonely, lost souls. No one can ever put a price on the earthly and eternal bond my family has!
We pointed out that San Diego County finally realized—after interviewing many foster-care children—just how invaluable the basic family structure is—including mothers, fathers, children, grandparents, etc. I wanted our children to internalize that those elected officials in California thought it important enough to recreate traditional families for many foster-care children who had lost all hope.
Greg and I helped our "babies" understand that if children are going to be successful, they always need good mothers and fathers in their lives that possess consistent and correct parenting skills!
We also discussed how the amazing Clark parents taught through their example that selflessness, pure love and endless dedication is needed in raising children well. Those same vital principles also apply to children contributing to the happiness of their families. The 21 loving, responsible, kind and cooperative Clark children were a sight to behold! And I've already hoisted Mary Beth and Scott Clark (the amazing parents) on a pretty sizable pedestal! 😉
Greg and I have talked with our children umpteen times about the great importance of parents having a good marriage, but we pointed it out again because we can never undervalue the fact that a solid, loving marriage is what keeps every family going in the right direction!
Our children understand that while no one is perfect, all of us can try to improve ourselves daily! And after watching those two lovely Turning Point videos, I dearly hope my darlings further internalized that family members really can help each other be happy and become better people!
Gratitude was also a big focus of our night. Greg and I really wanted our children (and us!) to remember to be sooo grateful for our lives and the opportunities we've been given! But we also wanted them to realize that even if people don't have the best upbringing, they can still make good choices and live productive, happy lives!
Most importantly, Greg and I helped our children see that each of us can make a very positive impact in this world! Even though we may feel like our lives are small, or they don't matter much, that's most definitely not the case! Every child, sibling and parent can make a difference in someone else's life—even if it's just our own life for a little while! Yes, sometimes we need to work on ourselves before we can branch out and help someone else. But I believe the ultimate goal of this life is for everyone to be happy and to love and serve others to the very best of our abilities—just like Jesus Christ did. 😊
As you may have guessed, our children weren't too thrilled with Greg and I taking away so much time from their Monday night of technology fun. Yes, my babies were very verbal about their unhappiness with our family home evening decision 😒. Yet I did not care how bothered they were because our FHE was worth every single one of those little frustrations! 😊
I love that I accomplished my goal of carving out our essential family togetherness time—especially when I knew it was going to be a battle to have such a l-o-n-g (in their eyes) family home evening. Yet despite my darlings' complaints, I know our family-focused family home evening bonded us and will be remembered for even longer—and that's what really matters!
And now, for your viewing pleasure, here are the wonderful Turning Point episodes—complete with beautiful, uplifting music(!)—that taught my children so much! *FYI, you can turn off the closed captioning by clicking on the "cc" sign and clicking the "on" to "off."
San Pasqual Academy:
The Clarks:
P.S. Please feel free to use this FHE lesson idea and pass it along to others! I know it will impact your family for the better! 😀 Plus, I'd love the entire world to fully internalize just how important good parenting is! Let's spread the word that there is nothing better than having dedicated, Paramount Parents!
Showing posts with label discussions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label discussions. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Monday, November 23, 2015
The Right to Believe What We Believe
*Update: Before you read this lengthy post, please know that on 04/04/2019, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints changed its policy that I wrote about below. If you can find the time, please read the entire news release "Policy Changes Announced for Members in Gay Marriages, Children of LGBT Parents."
Even though the Church's policy has changed, I'm leaving this blog post as-is for the sake of history. You have to admit that this policy saga is super fascinating, right?!
I still totally love and fully support my church and its leaders. I am and will remain an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints forever! I wholeheartedly believe in inspiration and continuing revelation—both personally, and for The Church as a whole.
With that said, read on, and I hope you have a beautiful day!
The past two+ weeks have been interesting—to say the least—for my church and its members. (In case this is your first visit to Enthusiastic Fantastic, you might like to know that I'm a very happy member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!) I was surprised that some of my church's policy information was sneakily released to the media on November 6th, 2015. That said, I wasn't surprised about the content of the news, just the way in which the news was released—for it wasn't released by the Church's typical channels.
Even though the Church's policy has changed, I'm leaving this blog post as-is for the sake of history. You have to admit that this policy saga is super fascinating, right?!
I still totally love and fully support my church and its leaders. I am and will remain an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints forever! I wholeheartedly believe in inspiration and continuing revelation—both personally, and for The Church as a whole.
With that said, read on, and I hope you have a beautiful day!
The past two+ weeks have been interesting—to say the least—for my church and its members. (In case this is your first visit to Enthusiastic Fantastic, you might like to know that I'm a very happy member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!) I was surprised that some of my church's policy information was sneakily released to the media on November 6th, 2015. That said, I wasn't surprised about the content of the news, just the way in which the news was released—for it wasn't released by the Church's typical channels.
Because I'm not on Fakebook anymore, I don't know for sure where the news story first broke. All I know is that one of the blogs I follow, Fair Mormon, released the first blog post I saw about it: "A Look at the Church’s New Policy on Children of Gay Couples." It's a great read, I highly recommend it. Here is the information verbatim from Fair Mormon that first introduced me to what was going on in my church:
Later that night, I watched Elder Christofferson's explanation of the Church's policy move (that previously linked update came a few days later): Elder Christofferson Provides Context on Handbook Changes Affecting Same-Sex Marriages (click the link to watch the video).
- Those who enter into a same-sex marriage are considered apostate, and will need to undergo Church discipline possibly resulting in disfellowshipment or excommunication;
- Local leaders should seriously consider Church discipline against members cohabitating in same-sex relationships but not married;
- Minor children in same-sex households are not to be baptized into the Church until they reach adulthood. At that point they must understand and accept the Church’s doctrine regarding the sinfulness of same-sex acts and marriages in order to be baptized
I thought those two sources were very clear and self-explanatory. I was not confused as to where the Church stood on the issue of same-sex marriage within its membership. Thus, I was surprised at the uproar seemingly everywhere on the internet, local/national media, and social media—and even within my own extended family. I mean, it's not a huge surprise where the Church stands in regard to SSM, so I couldn't understand why everyone was so shocked with the policy change—especially after the Church further explained and kindly clarified their position.
My church has been talking about the importance of families forever—and especially in the past 20 years! For reference, please read "THE FAMILY, A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD," that was released in 1995. Not to mention, please notice how many videos The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has produced about families and religious freedom—and I didn't even include them all. (You don't need to watch all of them, I just included the links in case anyone is interested.)
Home and Family – Through Small Things
Happy Families—a playlist of videos about families
Building Families
Protect Our Nestlings – Keeping our Families Safe
Motherhood: an Eternal Partnership with God
Our Fun Family Vacation – The Importance of Spending Time With Family
Families Can Be Together Forever
The Mormon Practice of Family Home Evening
My church has been talking about the importance of families forever—and especially in the past 20 years! For reference, please read "THE FAMILY, A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD," that was released in 1995. Not to mention, please notice how many videos The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has produced about families and religious freedom—and I didn't even include them all. (You don't need to watch all of them, I just included the links in case anyone is interested.)
Home and Family – Through Small Things
Happy Families—a playlist of videos about families
Building Families
Protect Our Nestlings – Keeping our Families Safe
Motherhood: an Eternal Partnership with God
Our Fun Family Vacation – The Importance of Spending Time With Family
Families Can Be Together Forever
The Mormon Practice of Family Home Evening
Also, the major motion picture, Meet The Mormons, does a great job of introducing what the Church is all about. I wish everyone on the planet would watch it! :)
Yes, with all of those previously listed sources, there should be zero surprises about where the Church stands in regard to same-sex marriage.
As the past 17 days have unfolded, I've read and listened to many sources about the topic shared above. Here some of the links to what I've been researching (There are other sources I've read/watched/listened to that I won't be linking.):
"A North and South Heart," a blog post on Rational Faiths, by Tom Christofferson—the gay brother of Elder D. Todd Christofferson, an LDS apostle
Articles by Jean Lloyd from The Witherspoon Institute, Public Discourse:
As the past 17 days have unfolded, I've read and listened to many sources about the topic shared above. Here some of the links to what I've been researching (There are other sources I've read/watched/listened to that I won't be linking.):
"A North and South Heart," a blog post on Rational Faiths, by Tom Christofferson—the gay brother of Elder D. Todd Christofferson, an LDS apostle
Articles by Jean Lloyd from The Witherspoon Institute, Public Discourse:
- "Rending the Rainbow Veil: How to Make Your Church a Safe Space for Christians with Same-Sex Attraction"
- "The Girl in the Tuxedo: Two Variations on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity"
- "The New LDS Church Policy on Same-Sex Families"—There were several comments made in this podcast that rubbed me the wrong way. I didn't like the way some of the guests were making my church and its members out to be "evil meanies" (they didn't say that, it's just how I felt they were portraying us) because we're not evil nor mean!
- "Nature, Nurture, Sexuality, & Gender"—This one is a must listen!
"Taught By Her Mothers," a podcast on the blog, Mormon Women Project
"Why We Fear Mormons," an opinion post by J. Spencer Fluhman on The New York Times
"Petition asks Mormon Tabernacle Choir guests to cancel appearances over policy change," a Salt Lake Tribune article
Two important articles released by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints—these are the most recent updates:
"Why We Fear Mormons," an opinion post by J. Spencer Fluhman on The New York Times
"Petition asks Mormon Tabernacle Choir guests to cancel appearances over policy change," a Salt Lake Tribune article
Two important articles released by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints—these are the most recent updates:
"Pride and Faith," the recently-released video by Scott Raia. His video's tagline reads, "A BYU film student documents his growing awareness of the LGBT community, especially within the Mormon church. He sees his nervousness for graduation from college as a something of a parallel for the uncertainty faced by some of his friends as they transition to adulthood as gay Mormons."
"WITH GAY MORMONS," a blog post by Jeff Benedict
"Religion is changing, fellowship too," an article in the Harvard Gazette. This one isn't about the Church, but it's an interesting read in terms of religion as a whole.
Hopefully, anyone reading my blog can see that I check a wide variety of sources for information. I most definitely do not live inside a vacuum! ;) I truly try my best to see all sides of every life issue before coming to a conclusion or making a decision. Thus, please believe me when I say that after all of my researching, I don't have a problem with my church's same-sex marriage policy. The information my church has presented makes sense to me. No, my support of the Church and its leaders does not make me heartless nor a bigot. Oh no, it most certainly does not! (By the way, I strongly dislike that previously mentioned b-word.)
While I hope this blog post doesn't attract haters, there's no guarantee of that not happening (Did I say that right? Or, is it a double negative? I'm overcome with wordiness! Ha ha.), which makes me a little nervous. That said, I still want to share my opinion on the subject.
First off, despite what others may think or say, I truly believe the Church has no ill will directed at the LGBT community—none whatsoever—and for the record, I don't, either. (For more on my views of my country's actions toward legalizing SSM, please read my post "The Supreme Court's Decision"—I wrote it before the historic and final announcement.) The Church's leaders have simply stated what they believe is right and true. I support my church leaders 100% because I believe they receive direct inspiration and revelation from the Lord, which means this policy change has been given to them directly from the Lord.
Speaking of the inspiration/revelation of the Church's leaders, I love this marvelous quote by Elder Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He said in his October, 2015, General Conference talk, "Chosen to Bear Testimony of My Name,"
It's ridiculous to me that the only time haters care about the Church or its policies is when the Church has made a stand that the haters don't agree with. That's like me having an opinion about any number of other churches' policies. Am I an active/participating member of said church that I'm having issues with? No? Well, then I don't get to have a say about how they run their church. If, however, I was an actively participating member of said church whose policies I disagreed with, then I'd have something to talk about.
*Side note: I saw a news clip about the "mass" membership resignation of Church members that happened Saturday, November 14th. What I think needs to be pointed out is this quote from KUTV 2News:
Third, I've been puzzled by some active Latter-Day Saints' negative reactions to the Church's new policy. To them I say: Pray for guidance and peace. Please read or watch all of the statements put forth by the Church. (I linked them above.) Realize that either you do or you don't support the Church and its leaders. (I support the Church and its leaders.) Either the brethren are spiritually in tune, or they're not. (I believe they are in tune.) Either they've made the correct policy update, or they haven't. (I believe they are acting according to the revelation/inspiration they've received from the Lord. Refer to the comment I previously shared by Elder Bednar.) If you believe the brethren/leaders are in tune to inspiration and revelation from the Lord, through the Holy Ghost, then accept what they've done. (I've accepted their actions, and apparently so have the vast majority of the Church's members.)
*Side note: I've been writing this blog post for a little over one week. Late last night, as I was shutting down my computer, I read a beautiful blog post, "Sustaining, Suffering and Enduring Each Other," by Bruce E. Dale, Interpreter, A Journal of Mormon Scripture. Brother Dale does a wonderful job of defining and describing what it means to sustain the Church's leaders and members. It is so worth five minutes of your time! :)
Fourth, for years, the Church has stood up for what it genuinely believes is right and true: that same-sex marriage should not be legalized. I think it's fair to say that the Church did literally everything within its power to prevent that legal social change. But once the Supreme Court legalized SSM, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints supported the law, while simultaneously requesting that rights for religious freedom be protected. For reference, please see Elder Dallin H. Oaks' General Conference talk, "Loving Others and Living with Differences," given in October, 2014. His marvelous words were presented just two days before SSM was legalized in Utah—which catapulted the Supreme Court's country-wide decision. I know I've already shared portions of this talk previously, but I feel it's good enough to share again:
We all have the right to live according to our religious/spiritual beliefs and consciences, as is presented in an awesome PBS video I watched a few days ago (linked below). Religious liberty/freedom should not be squashed by anyone—including those who request tolerance and acceptance of their personal views and choices, but aren't willing to extend the same generosity to those with deeply held religious beliefs!
Russell Moore said,
Of course, I could have easily shared many of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints' leader's speeches on religious freedom, but I chose to share the perspective of Russell Moore—President of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission—simply to illustrate that the Church is not the only church that feels this way.
So where are we now? Obviously, same-sex marriage is legal in the United States of America and in other countries across the world. While there are many places that same-sex couples can get married, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints isn't one of them. The Church has the right to unequivocally state that they won't support or allow SSM within their membership, church buildings or temples. They aren't holding anyone back from being allowed the standard/legal definition of marriage in the worldly sense, but when it comes to the Lord's way of eternal marriage, yes, the Church has put their foot down—and they have every right to do so. The Lord has drawn the line in the sand so there is zero confusion about same-sex marriage—it's not up for debate in the Church.
What some people are forgetting (or conveniently ignoring?) is that not only does the Church not allow SSM, but it also has the following list of dos and don'ts that apply to all current and potential church members (I included as many as I could find/remember):
To go along with that scripture, I found this awesome quote by President Joseph Fielding Smith, the 10th president of the Church,
I hope I've illustrated that the same-sex-marriage-is-not-allowed-in-the-Church issue is a much smaller fraction of what it means to be an active and faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints than what the media is portraying. There will always be fluidity in the membership of the Church due to people becoming (and hopefully staying) converted, while simultaneously others neglect their personal testimonies (and all that encompasses) and become inactive members, or resign from the Church altogether. If people want to leave the Church, surely SSM won't be the only reason they choose to focus on.
What it all comes down to is this: we each have the right to believe what we believe! Those negatively affected by the Church's SSM policy change always have the option to make different choices in order to access those beautiful and sacred ordinances, and receive the promised blessings.
Just like any actively participating Latter-Day Saint, everyone who has heard of the Church can choose to obey its teachings...we can all be blessed for our faithfulness. If people decide to follow our Savior, and do what is required to become and stay an active member of the Church, there are no restrictions holding anyone back—the "Blessings of the Gospel [are] Available to All"! That previous link is a talk by Elder Joseph W. Sitati.
As I've been happily thinking about what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints means to me, I get emotional if I try to envision my life without it. Because of the Church's teachings, I have been brought closer to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ than I ever could have imagined! My relationship with Them is, of course, made possible due to the Holy Ghost daily speaking to my spirit—and I wouldn't have received the gift of the Holy Ghost without my baptism in the Church! And don't even get me started about the amazing people I've met through my membership in the Church, for my life would be completely different without their positive influence!
Also, I can't help but reflect back on these lovely scriptures and their meanings—as I understand them (emphasis added):
Luke 12:6–7, "Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows." *We are all important to our Heavenly Father and Savior.
Isaiah 25:8, "He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces..." *We are all saved; the Lord will always be there to comfort us.
Colossians 3:2, "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." *Don't get sidetracked by worldly issues, we need to keep our focus on eternity.
Colossians 1:23, "...continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel..." *We must stay strong and true to Jesus Christ and His gospel!
Romans 8:35; 37–39, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ...Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." *Heavenly Father will always love us and wants us to come back to Him; our Savior's Atonement makes up for every trial/problem we're given in this life (but that doesn't mean we should give up following the Savior's example—none of us get a free ride!); Jesus Christ is our connection to God, our Heavenly Father.
John 6:68–69, "Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." *Those verses say it all: who or what else can give us all that Jesus Christ and His gospel offers? I'd also like to point out that with this scripture (there are many others to reference), God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are established: the trinity is incorrect.
John 14:15, 21, "If ye love me, keep my commandments... ...He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." *We can show our love and devotion to our Savior by keeping His commandments. Our Heavenly Father will love us even more for following Jesus Christ.
Alma 34:32, "For behold, this life is the time for men [and women] to prepare to meet God..." *This scripture is one of my favorites! I always shorten the verse simply because I feel there is nothing else to say! :) We must do everything within our power to be prepared to meet our Heavenly Father!
Finally, I love this statement by President Joseph Fielding Smith, for his words say it all (emphasis added)!
When all is said and done, I simply don't want to have squandered my days here on Earth. As imperfect as I am, I'm trying my best to be prepared to one day meet God and Jesus Christ—and I want to bring as many prepared people with me as I can (so to speak). I truly believe the Church is the vehicle of choice to safely deliver each and every one of us back to Them! :)
"WITH GAY MORMONS," a blog post by Jeff Benedict
"Religion is changing, fellowship too," an article in the Harvard Gazette. This one isn't about the Church, but it's an interesting read in terms of religion as a whole.
Hopefully, anyone reading my blog can see that I check a wide variety of sources for information. I most definitely do not live inside a vacuum! ;) I truly try my best to see all sides of every life issue before coming to a conclusion or making a decision. Thus, please believe me when I say that after all of my researching, I don't have a problem with my church's same-sex marriage policy. The information my church has presented makes sense to me. No, my support of the Church and its leaders does not make me heartless nor a bigot. Oh no, it most certainly does not! (By the way, I strongly dislike that previously mentioned b-word.)
While I hope this blog post doesn't attract haters, there's no guarantee of that not happening (Did I say that right? Or, is it a double negative? I'm overcome with wordiness! Ha ha.), which makes me a little nervous. That said, I still want to share my opinion on the subject.
First off, despite what others may think or say, I truly believe the Church has no ill will directed at the LGBT community—none whatsoever—and for the record, I don't, either. (For more on my views of my country's actions toward legalizing SSM, please read my post "The Supreme Court's Decision"—I wrote it before the historic and final announcement.) The Church's leaders have simply stated what they believe is right and true. I support my church leaders 100% because I believe they receive direct inspiration and revelation from the Lord, which means this policy change has been given to them directly from the Lord.
Speaking of the inspiration/revelation of the Church's leaders, I love this marvelous quote by Elder Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He said in his October, 2015, General Conference talk, "Chosen to Bear Testimony of My Name,"
"Serving with these representatives of the Lord [in the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles], I have come to know their greatest desire is to discern and do the will of our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son. As we counsel together, inspiration has been received and decisions have been made that reflect a degree of light and truth far beyond human intelligence, reasoning, and experience. As we work together in unity on perplexing problems, our collective understanding of an issue has been enlarged in marvelous ways by the power of the Holy Ghost."Second, I get frustrated when people who aren't members—or are less-active members—of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints get so opinionated about something they don't even want to be a part of themselves! Seriously, what?! I wish I could say to them: Why are you being mean toward the Church and its members when you're not following its teachings, and you want nothing to do with it anyway?!
It's ridiculous to me that the only time haters care about the Church or its policies is when the Church has made a stand that the haters don't agree with. That's like me having an opinion about any number of other churches' policies. Am I an active/participating member of said church that I'm having issues with? No? Well, then I don't get to have a say about how they run their church. If, however, I was an actively participating member of said church whose policies I disagreed with, then I'd have something to talk about.
*Side note: I saw a news clip about the "mass" membership resignation of Church members that happened Saturday, November 14th. What I think needs to be pointed out is this quote from KUTV 2News:
"When asked if those in the LGBT community are actively wanting their children to be raised in the LDS faith, Matson replied, 'Honestly, no. They don't...'So not only do most of those in the LGBT community not even want to be a part of the Church, only 125 of the approximately 2,500 people giving up their membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are actively participating members! Yeah, I'm pretty sure 2,500 members out of the Church's total population of 15+ million doesn't constitute the definition of a "mass resignation." (At least that's the number I've researched in the media up to this point.)
"A recent poll conducted by event organizers and posted on the LDS Mass Resignation Facebook page shows only 5 percent of those who resigned this weekend attend an LDS church on a weekly or monthly basis."
Third, I've been puzzled by some active Latter-Day Saints' negative reactions to the Church's new policy. To them I say: Pray for guidance and peace. Please read or watch all of the statements put forth by the Church. (I linked them above.) Realize that either you do or you don't support the Church and its leaders. (I support the Church and its leaders.) Either the brethren are spiritually in tune, or they're not. (I believe they are in tune.) Either they've made the correct policy update, or they haven't. (I believe they are acting according to the revelation/inspiration they've received from the Lord. Refer to the comment I previously shared by Elder Bednar.) If you believe the brethren/leaders are in tune to inspiration and revelation from the Lord, through the Holy Ghost, then accept what they've done. (I've accepted their actions, and apparently so have the vast majority of the Church's members.)
*Side note: I've been writing this blog post for a little over one week. Late last night, as I was shutting down my computer, I read a beautiful blog post, "Sustaining, Suffering and Enduring Each Other," by Bruce E. Dale, Interpreter, A Journal of Mormon Scripture. Brother Dale does a wonderful job of defining and describing what it means to sustain the Church's leaders and members. It is so worth five minutes of your time! :)
Fourth, for years, the Church has stood up for what it genuinely believes is right and true: that same-sex marriage should not be legalized. I think it's fair to say that the Church did literally everything within its power to prevent that legal social change. But once the Supreme Court legalized SSM, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints supported the law, while simultaneously requesting that rights for religious freedom be protected. For reference, please see Elder Dallin H. Oaks' General Conference talk, "Loving Others and Living with Differences," given in October, 2014. His marvelous words were presented just two days before SSM was legalized in Utah—which catapulted the Supreme Court's country-wide decision. I know I've already shared portions of this talk previously, but I feel it's good enough to share again:
We all have the right to live according to our religious/spiritual beliefs and consciences, as is presented in an awesome PBS video I watched a few days ago (linked below). Religious liberty/freedom should not be squashed by anyone—including those who request tolerance and acceptance of their personal views and choices, but aren't willing to extend the same generosity to those with deeply held religious beliefs!
Russell Moore said,
"No one wants to see our gay and lesbian neighbors mistreated, bullied, harmed. At the same time, we need to protect the pluralism of the public square that allows people to dissent from whatever the dogma of "the church of the sexual revolution" is. And that's the dangerous place that we're in right now, is there are many people who are suggesting that this wave of sexual revolution ought to trump religious liberty and conscience rights in a way that simply paves over the consciences of people. That's not the sort of society we ought to live in."To see more of Mr. Moore's fabulous interview, please watch the video "Russell Moore on LGBT Acceptance," produced by PBS' Religion & Ethics Newsweekly.
Of course, I could have easily shared many of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints' leader's speeches on religious freedom, but I chose to share the perspective of Russell Moore—President of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission—simply to illustrate that the Church is not the only church that feels this way.
So where are we now? Obviously, same-sex marriage is legal in the United States of America and in other countries across the world. While there are many places that same-sex couples can get married, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints isn't one of them. The Church has the right to unequivocally state that they won't support or allow SSM within their membership, church buildings or temples. They aren't holding anyone back from being allowed the standard/legal definition of marriage in the worldly sense, but when it comes to the Lord's way of eternal marriage, yes, the Church has put their foot down—and they have every right to do so. The Lord has drawn the line in the sand so there is zero confusion about same-sex marriage—it's not up for debate in the Church.
What some people are forgetting (or conveniently ignoring?) is that not only does the Church not allow SSM, but it also has the following list of dos and don'ts that apply to all current and potential church members (I included as many as I could find/remember):
- no abortions
- no abuse of any person
- no alcohol, coffee, tea, tobacco, drugs, etc., i.e., Church members are to follow/obey the Word of Wisdom
- no sexual sin (homo or hetero)—the Church takes the law of chastity very seriously
- keep our baptismal covenants and temple covenants we've made through those sacred ordinances (temple and covenants are two separate links)
- keep the Ten Commandments—as part of the covenants we've made
- no gambling
- faithfully and consistently wear temple garments—for adults who have made covenants in the temple
- no pornography
- no polygamy/plural marriage
- worship God, our Heavenly Father
- pray and read our scriptures daily—these aren't commandments, so-to-speak, but they're highly encouraged habits
- attend our church meetings on a regular basis
- attend the temple as often as time permits—we are encouraged to make it a priority
- honorably hold and exercise the priesthood—for men only
- no profanity/swearing
- dress modestly
- repent as often as needed
- have reverence for sacred things including: God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, the Church, temples, etc.
- make sacrifices to follow Jesus Christ and His gospel
- no same-sex marriage
- serve in the Church and our communities—to the extent possible by each individual
- no tattoos—that said, having tattoos won't cause a person to be disciplined by the Church
- pay a full/honest tithe
- avoid unwed pregnancy—this sounds harsh, but the Church does everything within its power to help unwed mothers (click on the link above)
- be virtuous, i.e., have high moral standards
- do our best to "build up" Zion, i.e., the pure in heart
To go along with that scripture, I found this awesome quote by President Joseph Fielding Smith, the 10th president of the Church,
"It should be conceded by all people that since the Almighty governs the entire universe by immutable law, man, who is the greatest of all his creations, must himself be subject to such law." – "Chapter 18: Living by Every Word that Proceeds from the Mouth of God," Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith.It's no secret that the Lord expects the same devoted discipleship from every member of the Church! And when we make mistakes, the Atonement of Jesus Christ is there to help us out—pending we utilize it through our full repentance! :)
I hope I've illustrated that the same-sex-marriage-is-not-allowed-in-the-Church issue is a much smaller fraction of what it means to be an active and faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints than what the media is portraying. There will always be fluidity in the membership of the Church due to people becoming (and hopefully staying) converted, while simultaneously others neglect their personal testimonies (and all that encompasses) and become inactive members, or resign from the Church altogether. If people want to leave the Church, surely SSM won't be the only reason they choose to focus on.
What it all comes down to is this: we each have the right to believe what we believe! Those negatively affected by the Church's SSM policy change always have the option to make different choices in order to access those beautiful and sacred ordinances, and receive the promised blessings.
Just like any actively participating Latter-Day Saint, everyone who has heard of the Church can choose to obey its teachings...we can all be blessed for our faithfulness. If people decide to follow our Savior, and do what is required to become and stay an active member of the Church, there are no restrictions holding anyone back—the "Blessings of the Gospel [are] Available to All"! That previous link is a talk by Elder Joseph W. Sitati.
As I've been happily thinking about what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints means to me, I get emotional if I try to envision my life without it. Because of the Church's teachings, I have been brought closer to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ than I ever could have imagined! My relationship with Them is, of course, made possible due to the Holy Ghost daily speaking to my spirit—and I wouldn't have received the gift of the Holy Ghost without my baptism in the Church! And don't even get me started about the amazing people I've met through my membership in the Church, for my life would be completely different without their positive influence!
Also, I can't help but reflect back on these lovely scriptures and their meanings—as I understand them (emphasis added):
Luke 12:6–7, "Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows." *We are all important to our Heavenly Father and Savior.
Isaiah 25:8, "He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces..." *We are all saved; the Lord will always be there to comfort us.
Colossians 3:2, "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." *Don't get sidetracked by worldly issues, we need to keep our focus on eternity.
Colossians 1:23, "...continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel..." *We must stay strong and true to Jesus Christ and His gospel!
Romans 8:35; 37–39, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ...Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." *Heavenly Father will always love us and wants us to come back to Him; our Savior's Atonement makes up for every trial/problem we're given in this life (but that doesn't mean we should give up following the Savior's example—none of us get a free ride!); Jesus Christ is our connection to God, our Heavenly Father.
John 6:68–69, "Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." *Those verses say it all: who or what else can give us all that Jesus Christ and His gospel offers? I'd also like to point out that with this scripture (there are many others to reference), God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are established: the trinity is incorrect.
John 14:15, 21, "If ye love me, keep my commandments... ...He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." *We can show our love and devotion to our Savior by keeping His commandments. Our Heavenly Father will love us even more for following Jesus Christ.
Alma 34:32, "For behold, this life is the time for men [and women] to prepare to meet God..." *This scripture is one of my favorites! I always shorten the verse simply because I feel there is nothing else to say! :) We must do everything within our power to be prepared to meet our Heavenly Father!
Finally, I love this statement by President Joseph Fielding Smith, for his words say it all (emphasis added)!
"If we are living the religion which the Lord has revealed and which we have received, we do not belong to the world. We should have no part in all its foolishness. We should not partake of its sins and its errors—errors of philosophy and errors of doctrine, errors in regard to government, or whatever those errors may be—we have no part in it.
"The only part we have is the keeping of the commandments of God. That is all, being true to every covenant and every obligation that we have entered into and taken upon ourselves.
"Do not get the impression from what I have said that I feel that we should keep aloof from everybody outside of the Church and not associate with them. I have not said that, but I do want us to be consistent Latter-day Saints, and if the people of the world walk in darkness and sin and contrary to the will of the Lord, there is the place for us to draw the line." – "Chapter 19: In the World but Not of the World," Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith.What I find interesting about the quotes I shared from President Joseph Fielding Smith, is the fact that, yesterday morning, I mistakenly thought the Church's 2015 curriculum has us studying President Smith—even though I subconsciously knew full well that we are studying President Benson! (Because I'm the first counselor in my ward's Young Women organization, I don't get to study the Teachings of Presidents of the Church lessons in Relief Society. Thus, every so often, I listen to the lessons on my phone while I'm getting ready for the day.) I strongly believe the Spirit (Holy Ghost) wanted me to think we were studying President Smith so I would find his steadfast words for precisely this post! :)
When all is said and done, I simply don't want to have squandered my days here on Earth. As imperfect as I am, I'm trying my best to be prepared to one day meet God and Jesus Christ—and I want to bring as many prepared people with me as I can (so to speak). I truly believe the Church is the vehicle of choice to safely deliver each and every one of us back to Them! :)
Monday, November 10, 2014
A Follow-up to President Obama's Speech on Women and the Economy
Last week, I had a facebook encounter that I would describe as a bit unpleasant...okay, it totally burned my butter—I was smoking mad! Ha ha. Here's what happened:
I clicked on a facebook link that discussed in very short detail, President Obama's speech on women and the economy. I was dismayed when I heard his words, "Sometimes, someone—usually mom—leaves the workplace to stay home with the kids, which then leaves her earning a lower wage for the rest of her life as a result. And that's not a choice we want Americans to make." That link was the catalyst for my inclusion of his words in my blog post Self-Reliance. I "liked" the facebook post and left a comment, sharing my disgust. As you can tell from my blog post, I was very upset at his words!
*By the by, I debated editing Self-Reliance, but decided to leave it as-is and write this post instead. You know, because, life is life! Our reactions are human and we can't completely erase how we feel like we can delete our words on a computer, we can only move forward!
Later, I saw through my facebook notifications that some other people disagreed with the initial facebook post. They shared that Pres. O wasn't attacking stay-at-home moms, and the comment was taken out of context. Thus, even though I had initially watched a majority of the video, I went back and watched the entire video. Yes, in a broad sense, I understood that he wasn't attacking stay-at-home moms and I appreciate that. Yet I feel he totally downplayed the importance of stay-at-home motherhood and I absolutely take issue with that—which is why I left my self-reliance blog post as-is.
I then left a lengthy response to those facebook comments. Before I commented, I prayed a lot and thought very long and hard about what to write. I felt really good about my words! :) (I might write a version of my comment in a blog post sometime in the future.)
However, the next morning, there were follow-up comments to my comment, and I could tell that they didn't agree with my position. I was frustrated because I felt that they weren't even trying to understand my point, so I deleted my "like" and two comments on the facebook post. I felt much better after having done so because my emotions were being negatively affected. And I know I shouldn't let people bug me, but again, I'm human. Without going into too much detail, just know that some of the comments weren't from random strangers, but my extended family members. Thus, it was hard feeling misunderstood by the people I'm attached to for life!
I was also ready to deactivate my facebook account and just keep my blog's facebook page active. I sadly realized facebook would also deactivate my Enthusiastic Fantastic page if I deleted my personal page, so I left everything open and decided to take a facebook break. However, that night, I read an amazing article, Difference and Dignity, by the Mormon Newsroom, that calmed my troubled heart. I highly recommend reading it! :)
So after all of my blabbing, what it comes down to is this: Many people in this world—including President Obama—are passionate about women's rights. I don't want anyone thinking I disagree with supporting women because I completely, utterly, and unequivocally support women's rights! I totally agree that men and women should be treated with equal rights and respect in absolutely every and any situation!
But I am even more passionate about children's rights because, until they are grown, children are helpless in the life situations they find themselves in! Children have zero input as to what their child-rearing choices are, and I have a problem with that. For I feel that if children were given a voice, they would say they want to be home with their mothers. I sincerely want what's best for children, and I believe daycare/babysitters/schools are not the answer. Mothers are the answer! There I go again...it's just so hard for me to stop! ;)
Thus, today, I was thrilled beyond description to stumble upon this article in the Deseret News National edition, 6 things you should understand about stay-at-home moms, by Herb Scribner. I love how Mr. Scribner points out the immense value that stay-at-home mothers bring to our society. And he has solid research to back-up every single one of his points!!!
Thank you, Herb Scribner, for sharing your wisdom with the world! This supremely happy stay-at-home mama and her children appreciate your words more than you will ever know!
To wrap-up, I must share an interesting tidbit that happened to me this past Thursday night. I had a conversation with some wonderful women who were kindly trying to convince me to go back to school, i.e., a university/college. I've researched this idea previously and had decided against it, but after talking with them, I decided to look into it again.
As I researched the universities near me, I was overcome with emotion. I realized that most of the programs I was interested in pursuing would cause me to go be gone while my children were home. Just thinking about going back to school while my children are living at home literally made made me cry. Thinking of missing out on any time with my children—when they choose to be home and engaged with me—made my soul feel like it was being twisted and pulled to the point it would break into a million pieces.
No, I am most definitely not ready to go back to school. Unless things change significantly for my family, i.e., a tragedy befalls us and I'm forced to reenter society's workplace, I will not return to professional employment, either. And I still make that statement even though my family could really use the additional money for our budget!
Mothering my children is my greatest joy and most important calling! Below is a poem that perfectly describes my feelings. I had tears the first time I read it! And now, I must be on my way...I hope you enjoy your day!
*I mean no copyright infringement by sharing this from Belle Bébés, and I couldn't find a copyright statement anywhere on their website.
I clicked on a facebook link that discussed in very short detail, President Obama's speech on women and the economy. I was dismayed when I heard his words, "Sometimes, someone—usually mom—leaves the workplace to stay home with the kids, which then leaves her earning a lower wage for the rest of her life as a result. And that's not a choice we want Americans to make." That link was the catalyst for my inclusion of his words in my blog post Self-Reliance. I "liked" the facebook post and left a comment, sharing my disgust. As you can tell from my blog post, I was very upset at his words!
*By the by, I debated editing Self-Reliance, but decided to leave it as-is and write this post instead. You know, because, life is life! Our reactions are human and we can't completely erase how we feel like we can delete our words on a computer, we can only move forward!
Later, I saw through my facebook notifications that some other people disagreed with the initial facebook post. They shared that Pres. O wasn't attacking stay-at-home moms, and the comment was taken out of context. Thus, even though I had initially watched a majority of the video, I went back and watched the entire video. Yes, in a broad sense, I understood that he wasn't attacking stay-at-home moms and I appreciate that. Yet I feel he totally downplayed the importance of stay-at-home motherhood and I absolutely take issue with that—which is why I left my self-reliance blog post as-is.
I then left a lengthy response to those facebook comments. Before I commented, I prayed a lot and thought very long and hard about what to write. I felt really good about my words! :) (I might write a version of my comment in a blog post sometime in the future.)
However, the next morning, there were follow-up comments to my comment, and I could tell that they didn't agree with my position. I was frustrated because I felt that they weren't even trying to understand my point, so I deleted my "like" and two comments on the facebook post. I felt much better after having done so because my emotions were being negatively affected. And I know I shouldn't let people bug me, but again, I'm human. Without going into too much detail, just know that some of the comments weren't from random strangers, but my extended family members. Thus, it was hard feeling misunderstood by the people I'm attached to for life!
I was also ready to deactivate my facebook account and just keep my blog's facebook page active. I sadly realized facebook would also deactivate my Enthusiastic Fantastic page if I deleted my personal page, so I left everything open and decided to take a facebook break. However, that night, I read an amazing article, Difference and Dignity, by the Mormon Newsroom, that calmed my troubled heart. I highly recommend reading it! :)
So after all of my blabbing, what it comes down to is this: Many people in this world—including President Obama—are passionate about women's rights. I don't want anyone thinking I disagree with supporting women because I completely, utterly, and unequivocally support women's rights! I totally agree that men and women should be treated with equal rights and respect in absolutely every and any situation!
But I am even more passionate about children's rights because, until they are grown, children are helpless in the life situations they find themselves in! Children have zero input as to what their child-rearing choices are, and I have a problem with that. For I feel that if children were given a voice, they would say they want to be home with their mothers. I sincerely want what's best for children, and I believe daycare/babysitters/schools are not the answer. Mothers are the answer! There I go again...it's just so hard for me to stop! ;)
Thus, today, I was thrilled beyond description to stumble upon this article in the Deseret News National edition, 6 things you should understand about stay-at-home moms, by Herb Scribner. I love how Mr. Scribner points out the immense value that stay-at-home mothers bring to our society. And he has solid research to back-up every single one of his points!!!
Thank you, Herb Scribner, for sharing your wisdom with the world! This supremely happy stay-at-home mama and her children appreciate your words more than you will ever know!
To wrap-up, I must share an interesting tidbit that happened to me this past Thursday night. I had a conversation with some wonderful women who were kindly trying to convince me to go back to school, i.e., a university/college. I've researched this idea previously and had decided against it, but after talking with them, I decided to look into it again.
As I researched the universities near me, I was overcome with emotion. I realized that most of the programs I was interested in pursuing would cause me to go be gone while my children were home. Just thinking about going back to school while my children are living at home literally made made me cry. Thinking of missing out on any time with my children—when they choose to be home and engaged with me—made my soul feel like it was being twisted and pulled to the point it would break into a million pieces.
No, I am most definitely not ready to go back to school. Unless things change significantly for my family, i.e., a tragedy befalls us and I'm forced to reenter society's workplace, I will not return to professional employment, either. And I still make that statement even though my family could really use the additional money for our budget!
Mothering my children is my greatest joy and most important calling! Below is a poem that perfectly describes my feelings. I had tears the first time I read it! And now, I must be on my way...I hope you enjoy your day!
*I mean no copyright infringement by sharing this from Belle Bébés, and I couldn't find a copyright statement anywhere on their website.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Resurrection
No, this post is not referring to the new TV show "Resurrection". ;) I just had to clarify that point, lest people think they were about to read a review of the show!
This afternoon, I happily gave the lesson in my church's Mia Maid class. I was privileged to be able to teach the darling young women of my ward about Jesus Christ's glorious resurrection, and what it means for all of us.
After reading through all of the lesson material earlier this week, I chose to focus on Elder Dallin H. Oaks' talk "Resurrection," from General Conference, April, 2000. Today I had each of the young women read a scripture that Elder Oaks referenced in his talk, and we discussed each one of them as a class.
Here is a list of the scriptures we read: Mosiah 16:7; 1 Corinthians 15:54; Mormon 7:5; Mosiah 15:8; Mosiah 16:7–8; Alma 22:14; 1 Corinthians 15:22; 2 Ne. 9:22; Helaman 14:17; Mormon 9:13; D&C 29:26; D&C 76:39, 42–44; John 14:19.
Additionally, we read aloud and discussed all but the last section of his talk. I was sad we didn't get to finish discussing his talk, but we simply ran out of time. (Actually, I think I went over my class' time limit by a few minutes!) That said, I was greatly pleased with the way the lesson turned out, and I know the Holy Ghost had everything to do with it. :) I dearly hope the Mia Maids in my class enjoyed the lesson as well!
Instead of only linking to Elder Oaks' wonderful talk on our Savior's resurrection, I've chosen to share the video here. I feel his words and personal delivery are that important! I highly recommend watching it. :)
This morning, I created a typographic design of Alma 34:32 (the first half of the scripture) for the young women of my ward to take home. Not only is it one of my all-time favorite scriptures (okay, I have a lot of favorite scriptures), but Elder Oaks also referenced it in his talk. :)
Yes, my design is visually very simple this time. I created it in only black and white because for me, everything in life really is the simple contrast of black and white! Either we're on the Lord's side, or we're not. We're either willing to give our wills (the faculty by which a person decides on and initiates action) completely to our Heavenly Father, or we're not. It really is so simple. For one day, all of us really will be taken home to that God who gave [us] life. (Alma 40:11)
Alma 34:32 is the challenge I give myself every single day, and I advised "my" Mia Maids to do the same. I know I've said it so many times, but we really must not have any regrets in life! We must not leave anything undone, or left to chance...because if we really think about it, there is no chance. We will absolutely face the consequences of our actions—or inaction, for that matter! We need to be prepared for the day of our own glorious resurrections, so we will not fear our final judgment—nor debate the final outcome of it! :)
This afternoon, I happily gave the lesson in my church's Mia Maid class. I was privileged to be able to teach the darling young women of my ward about Jesus Christ's glorious resurrection, and what it means for all of us.
After reading through all of the lesson material earlier this week, I chose to focus on Elder Dallin H. Oaks' talk "Resurrection," from General Conference, April, 2000. Today I had each of the young women read a scripture that Elder Oaks referenced in his talk, and we discussed each one of them as a class.
Here is a list of the scriptures we read: Mosiah 16:7; 1 Corinthians 15:54; Mormon 7:5; Mosiah 15:8; Mosiah 16:7–8; Alma 22:14; 1 Corinthians 15:22; 2 Ne. 9:22; Helaman 14:17; Mormon 9:13; D&C 29:26; D&C 76:39, 42–44; John 14:19.
Additionally, we read aloud and discussed all but the last section of his talk. I was sad we didn't get to finish discussing his talk, but we simply ran out of time. (Actually, I think I went over my class' time limit by a few minutes!) That said, I was greatly pleased with the way the lesson turned out, and I know the Holy Ghost had everything to do with it. :) I dearly hope the Mia Maids in my class enjoyed the lesson as well!
Instead of only linking to Elder Oaks' wonderful talk on our Savior's resurrection, I've chosen to share the video here. I feel his words and personal delivery are that important! I highly recommend watching it. :)
This morning, I created a typographic design of Alma 34:32 (the first half of the scripture) for the young women of my ward to take home. Not only is it one of my all-time favorite scriptures (okay, I have a lot of favorite scriptures), but Elder Oaks also referenced it in his talk. :)
Yes, my design is visually very simple this time. I created it in only black and white because for me, everything in life really is the simple contrast of black and white! Either we're on the Lord's side, or we're not. We're either willing to give our wills (the faculty by which a person decides on and initiates action) completely to our Heavenly Father, or we're not. It really is so simple. For one day, all of us really will be taken home to that God who gave [us] life. (Alma 40:11)
Alma 34:32 is the challenge I give myself every single day, and I advised "my" Mia Maids to do the same. I know I've said it so many times, but we really must not have any regrets in life! We must not leave anything undone, or left to chance...because if we really think about it, there is no chance. We will absolutely face the consequences of our actions—or inaction, for that matter! We need to be prepared for the day of our own glorious resurrections, so we will not fear our final judgment—nor debate the final outcome of it! :)
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Untied
Yesterday afternoon, I learned that I have been tying my shoes incorrectly! Maybe many of you have already heard about the correct way to tie your shoelaces, but I was completely clueless. How did I find out about this life-changing information, you ask? Well, I watched this (short) original TED video on Netflix, given by Terry Moore, from 2005:
After I picked up my kids from school, I had my entire little family watch the video too. We actually had to watch it several times to make sure we were doing it correctly. We also figured out some pretty interesting things about ourselves. Read on! :)
After I picked up my kids from school, I had my entire little family watch the video too. We actually had to watch it several times to make sure we were doing it correctly. We also figured out some pretty interesting things about ourselves. Read on! :)
- My daughter and I have been tying our shoes incorrectly, but my husband and youngest son have been tying them correctly. I said to Greg, "Good job! Your parents weren't dorks!" Ha ha. Just kidding! I just find it fascinating that some families got the shoelace tying right from the beginning, while others got it wrong. (Or, maybe it was just me?!)
- Even more interesting was the fact that even though I'm right handed, I've been tying my shoes left-handed because my mother is left-handed! So intriguing, right?!
- Additionally, even though my daughter and I have been tying our shoes incorrectly, we've also been mirror images of each other! I have no idea how this happened??? I fully would have expected her to tie her shoes exactly like me - you know, like how I copied my left-handed mother exactly. Maybe this means my daughter will be a strong individual? Maybe it also means that I'm reading way too much into a shoelace tying experiment. ;)
- We discovered that my youngest son has been doing his initial start of the shoe-tie backwards, so when he creates the loop the way Mr. Moore does on his first try (where it's wrong), the overall effect is actually correct! Say what?! I seriously don't know how our son chose to change the way he ties his shoelaces from what Greg and I taught him. What a fortuitous mistake he made! :)
- My oldest son wanted nothing to do with our little family shoelace tying experiment. He just shook his head at us and happily went back to eating his Peanut M&Ms and watching his tablet. This shows me that he's officially in the, "My parents are lame." mode of teenagerhood. I'm pretty sure teenagerhood isn't a legitimate word, but I'm using it anyway. Hey, if Dr. Seuss can make up words, so can I! Ha ha.
Yep, fascinating.
After our family shoelace tying experiment was complete, Greg said to me, "That's it. I'm going to back to Velcro shoes." I laughed and said, "Just like an old man!"
*I mean no disrespect to the older generation with my comment, for I know we'll be a part of that classification in just a few short decades! It was just super funny to think of my hot, Nike-basketball-shoe-wearing husband reverting to big Velcro-fastened sneakers! ;) See his shoes below for effect. Yes, I created this lovely photo all by me'self! (Sorry, I don't mean to brag, I just really really love it!)
I know our family experiment yesterday made an impact on my children, because during the car ride to school this morning, my daughter very happily told me, "Mom, my tennis shoes are tied nice and tight - the right way!" Yes, folks, it's the little things that matter so much. :)
I sincerely hope everyone can save themselves the hassle of retying or double-knotting their shoes throughout the day, for I know Terry Moore's short three-minute video has changed my life for the better!
Also, I'm very happy this TED video initiated such a fun discussion between the members of my little family - it's something we'll remember forever! Thank you, Mr. Moore!!!
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