Sigh. I'm supposed to be writing a talk for church on Sunday. I've been doing a lot of reading up on the topic -- family home evening -- in the scriptures and on www.lds.org. It's not the topic that makes me sigh, it's just having to prepare for and actually give the talk. Well actually, I don't even mind the preparing for part. It's an opportunity to do research on a topic that I truly care about, as opposed to all of those lame English papers I wrote in college (actually, it was mostly one paper, "Compare and Contrast," that got hashed over with different books). I always learn something interesting and find my faith strengthened. I just don't relish delivering the talk. Maybe I will write it and then ask Bronwyn to read it for me. Right.
As I have been reading I did find something fun to share: even a prophet's childhood family home evenings weren't perfect. President Gordon B. Hinckley writes of his family's efforts to hold family home evening:
“We were miserable performers as children. We could do all kinds of things together while playing, but for one of us to try to sing a solo before the others was like asking ice cream to stay hard on the kitchen stove. In the beginning, we would laugh and make cute remarks about one another’s performance. But our parents persisted. We sang together. We prayed together. We listened quietly while Mother read Bible and Book of Mormon stories. Father told us stories out of his memory. …
“Out of those simple little meetings, held in the parlor of our old home, came something indescribable and wonderful. Our love for our parents was strengthened. Our love for brothers and sisters was enhanced. Our love for the Lord was increased. An appreciation for simple goodness grew in our hearts. These wonderful things came about because our parents followed the counsel of the President of the Church” (“Some Lessons I Learned as a Boy,” Ensign, May 1993, 54).
So I guess our family home evenings aren't hopeless when we have Liam draped over the arm of his chair, fiddling with a toy he brought with him or yet another comedic performance of Mary and Joseph going to Bethlehem (that particular re-enactment has been banned forthwith). There is definitely great value in weekly home evening where everyone has an opportunity to share their talents and stories.
Okay. Now I have to go back and finish my talk.
3 comments:
I can't wait, you'll do great!
I wish I could come and listen. I liked this avoidance tactic -- and you got to talk about your topic too!
That's what keeps me going with FHE. I pray, someday, my kids will look back on all of our FHE with fondness; even if some of them end in frustration for their parents. Keep on keepin'on, I guess!
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