I have learned over the years that if I pick a theme for the month, it makes it much easier to come up with a plan for Family Home Evenings! Last month our theme was Loyalty We had some pretty good family home evenings studying that topic. We watched conference talks on loyalty I used some of the materials I had prepared for Primary Music but didn't get to use because of time and related agency to Loyalty. We talked about choosing to be loyal as we make choices. To what should be we loyal, and how do we show our loyalty to friends, family and especially to our Heavenly Father?
Reverence and Respect show in our words and our deeds. I hope our Heavenly Father and Jesus ARE near! I hope my children can be encircled about in their love! I want to have Reverence and Respect in my home. I want my children to know and live with Reverence and Respect.
We have been searching for the right balance in Extended Family relationships. Where is that balance? I want to have more to share with each other than the latest gossip about...! So, I am writing about our theme here so that we can invite our extended family to participate with us, in hopes it will give us a new conversation to have with each other! :)
This month we have chosen to focus on "Respect."
Respect and Reverence are related and linked together. Today in Primary a member of the presidency presented the creation story, reading from Genesis, presenting all the beautiful creations our Father in Heaven took the time to create to help us find Joy here. She closed with comments about these two R words: Reverence and Respect. I was grateful for the lead in to our new theme for the month.
We followed up in sharing time by singing "Reverence is Love."
Rev'rence is more than just quietly sitting:
It's thinking of Father above,
A feeling I get when I think of his blessings.
I'm rev'rent, for rev'rence is love.
When I'm rev'rent, it shows in my words and my deeds.
The pathway to follow is clear.
And when I am rev'rent, I know in my heart
Heav'nly Father and Jesus are near.
To often adults in their frustration with noisy children, encourage "Reverence" without understanding on their own part of what reverence is. It is not just be quiet. I realize that this is done often, but it bothers me. It would be much better to ask for them to show respect to the time of all those in the room, or to ask them to respect the one trying to direct the learning of the group. That is different than demanding Reverence.
There are many different focuses of Respect we need to learn about this month in our family. I look forward to learning about Respect this month.
I am grateful for suggestions from others of how to improve relationships and excited to launch "Higher!!" (Higher was the focus of the Time Out For Women I got to attend with Liesl and friends last week!) Lifting!
There are many, many who recommend picking a theme, virtue, value of the month! Recently it is a little book by Brent R. Evans that outlines new ideas to try in our relationships to make them deeper. I appreciate the poem he shares on his website titled "Handwriting on the Wall."
Indeed, I want to "Take time to read the Handwriting on the Wall!"
I am grateful for suggestions from others of how to improve relationships and excited to launch "Higher!!" (Higher was the focus of the Time Out For Women I got to attend with Liesl and friends last week!) Lifting!
There are many, many who recommend picking a theme, virtue, value of the month! Recently it is a little book by Brent R. Evans that outlines new ideas to try in our relationships to make them deeper. I appreciate the poem he shares on his website titled "Handwriting on the Wall."
Indeed, I want to "Take time to read the Handwriting on the Wall!"