Sunday 27 September 2015

Marriages of the Leaders of the LDS Church

Marriages of LDS Church Leaders
Here's some fun little stories about church leaders falling in love and meeting their spouses.

“I saw her first in Primary,” President Hinckley says with a laugh. “She gave a reading. I don’t know what it did to me, but I never forgot it. Then she grew older into a beautiful young woman, and I had the good sense to marry her.”

After that sunrise service, he saw a young woman coming out of a grove of trees. Not only was he struck by her beauty, but at that moment the words of President David O. McKay came to his mind: “If you meet a girl in whose presence you feel a desire … to do your best, … such a young woman is worthy of your love” (Gospel Ideals, Salt Lake City: Improvement Era, 1953, p. 459). “That was exactly how I felt as I saw Kathleen for the first time,” says Elder Eyring.

While trying to win over Harriet’s heart, Dieter F. Uchtdorf would frequently ride his bike to her house, hoping to give her a ride to a church function. She was usually unavailable, but Harriet’s mother would take the ride instead. “Actually, looking back,” he says, “I recognize that it doesn’t hurt at all to be on good terms with the mother of the girl of your dreams.”

Sunday 20 September 2015

Do Moms get a Day of Rest?

Sabbath for Mom - article link

The article in the link above is awesome. You've gotta read it. It encourages the dads to help more on Sunday. If you're a mom going through the first years of parenting, church and Sunday are as exhausting as any other day. It's just how it is. Hopefully the husband and wife can work out a routine that makes things smoother, but it'll require work from both parents. For, example, I can't even remember the last Mother's Day(Sunday) when I didn't have to change a baby's diaper. It's just how it is. There's a lot to be done.

That being said, Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy has been my favorite commandment for probably 13 years. When Ryan was going through school, it was easy for him to put in 60 to 80 hour work weeks (including studying and working). He was able to do all that in 6 days a week. The 7th day became the family day. On Sundays he would take the kids out during sacrament meeting when they screamed. That doesn't necessarily mean I heard much of sacrament meeting, because with multiple kids somebody always needs help. The gesture was needed and kind though. On Sundays he'd also take our baby to Elder's Quorum (the men's meeting). That left me free to teach primary.

He'd often cook dinner or lunch after church like I mentioned here.The times he had to stay after church for a calling, we often decided to stay too. I wasn't excited to go home and take care of the kids there by myself like any other day. So, I'd let the kids play in the nursery after church while we waited for him. I didn't get the day off, but it helped relax the heavy load that little kids bring for a mom.  Sunday was definitely a break from the routine.

If you do have a heavy load on Sundays because of  young children, just remember they grow up. Just for reference, I probably take my two year old out of sacrament meeting and into the hall about once or twice per meeting. The 5 year old only has to go out about once per year. The 8, 10 and 12 year olds sit through the meeting and even learn things.