FOUND: Long-lost Posts from the Drafts File

** I loved this post, I can still feel the stirrings of pride and patriotism I felt the night of this lesson.
I feel it important that I do the memory justice by posting it now. **

It's been a while.... I've had issues. Hehe - yes...  I know, redundant.

Anyway, as life has been directing my every move, I've been keeping this blog in my head. Mostly on the days when I don't do "everything right". Like the numerous evenings when I've been so exhausted that I send my Littles to bed only to realize, for the fourth day in a row, we forgot to do scriptures. UGH!

I know that I cant do everything right.... or even most things right. I try hard not to get too down on myself. I try to keep myself up and going. I try to put on my big girl panties, so to speak, and keep on keepin' on. I try to do better tomorrow than I did today.

And some days I actually succeed!

Last Monday was one of those days. THANK GOODNESS!

We were busy getting Sister ready for Girl's Camp and cleaning house after the weekend. As we were running errands, I realized which day it was.... FAMILY HOME EVENING. Dun, dun, dun..... I had nothing planned. Again.

Enter: A Year of FHE. THANK GOODNESS!

If you have never visited this blog, you must peruse it soon. Perhaps in time for next week's Monday night ;-) The blog is exactly what it says, an entire blog devoted to Family Home Evening lessons, revolving around the blog's monthly theme. Owned by Emilie, it is wonderfully creative and super easy to navigate... and filled with years {past and present} of downloadable plans to make FHE a No-Brainer! You can go with her set lesson each week (they post on the Saturday prior) or pick a lesson from the archives. Emilie has tons of different topics to choose from- some that I am excited to pull out soon for my family are Prayer, Pioneers, Forgiveness, and Baptism. She also chooses a Song of the Month, complete with her own set of posters to help with teaching. Brilliant!

This month's theme is: Book of Mormon Stories, which is great for us, considering two of my children are enjoying reading Book of Mormon Stories for Young Latter-day Saints right now. So Monday, we did this year's (2012) lesson #23: Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty. I was so glad to have it, especially since Independence Day is less than a week away! We talked about the blessings of Freedom, most importantly the freedom of religion and how these rights give us the opportunity to worship Heavenly Father in they way He intended for us. We talked about how important it was for Captain Moroni and the Nephite people to be strong and faithful and to stand up for their rights and their families.... even though it was unpopular and even dangerous. It was the right thing to do. It's important that we respect others rights to their own beliefs, but we must never forsake what we know to be true. We have responsibilities to our families - past, present, and future - that make it most imperative that we stand firm and strong in the face of changing values.

{I feel like this is such an important message, in light of the near consistent infringements on traditional American values and founding principles. I was grateful to have a Gospel reason to discuss current events with my children.}

We talked about what the most important things are for us to be standing up for, and then we each made our own Title of Liberty. They included things like Family, our Home, the Temple, our Pets, and Chickens.... because they make eggs and we like eggs, apparently. :grin:

It was a fun little lesson.... especially since it required me to do exactly ZERO pre-planning! And, the final product made our vignette look complete!

Follow the [Living] Prophet

Adam was a Prophet, first one that we know,

In a place called Eden, he helped things to grow.

Adam served the Lord by following His way,

We are his descendants, in a latter day.

Follow the Prophet, follow the Prophet,

Follow the Prophet, don't go Astray!

Follow the Prophet, follow the Prophet,

Follow the Prophet, he knows the way!

Children's Songbook, p. 110

This is such a fun and upbeat song, all of the Primary children love to march and sing along. They sing with conviction, they sing with faith. They sing with the strength of a holy army! How is it that we can forget the strength of our childlike faith as we grow and "learn everything"? I was reading in my Teachings of the Living Prophets manual in which Elder M. Russell Ballard recounted the story of Naaman, a man with leprosy who was counseled by the Prophet Elisha to wash seven times in the Jordan River. After deliberating on this counsel and almost forsaking the promised blessing however, Naaman did what was required, washed, and was healed. Elder Ballard goes on to state that "his pride and stubbornness were keeping him from recieving the Lord's blessing through His prophet....  

What a humbling thing it must have been for Naaman to realize how close he had come to allowing his own pride to prevent him from receiving such a great, cleansing blessing." (Ballard, Ensign, May 2001) 

 The text spoke heavily of our responsibility to not only listen to the prophet, but to heed their counsel and ACT in accordance to it. The most important protection we can expect from the Lord only comes after the trial of our faith, after we choose to act on what we have been taught. We must not allow pride to overcome our desire to act and be one with our Father. It is the times when we think we know better how to run the Lord's church than He does, that we need deeper understanding and an opportunity to experience a broken heart and contrite spirit. It is important for me to remember that I am not living my life to gain the approval or acceptence of the children of men, I am living to be an example of faith and humility to my children, so that they might never lose the precious tendrils of faith that the Spirit has helped them cultivate as they ready themselves for the onslaught of the Adversary. I want to be strong so that I can recieve the blessings promised, so that I might pass on that knowledge to my children.