Family MATTERS

Jim and I went to the church broadcast on Saturday morning about the family -"Raising a Righteous Posterity" I think it was called. They talked about family and why it is the most important thing, and I want to "Amen" that thought, and give some of my own. (OK, I'm a lawyer, it is an occupational hazard to be opinionated!)

Vince Lombardi once said "Winning isn't the main thing - it's the ONLY thing." or something to that effect.

He got one word wrong. The quote should have said:
"FAMILY isn't the main thing, it's the ONLY thing."

I have been pondering this since Saturday morning. Really, love is the only thing that motivates us for good. I don't want to go to heaven to be comfortable, or rich, or sit on clouds and play harps. I want to go to be with my loved ones forever. That is what motivates me the most. I never want to do anything that would keep me from being with my family, and they are ALL celestial material, so I need to be a celestial person, too, to be with them.

Also, I am a better, more celestial person because I am acutely aware of the example I set for those whom I love. I want to be a good person for them to see what joy being a good person brings to you. Prssident Kimball once said "The more service you perform, the more substance there is to your soul." Wow. There are a lot of folks walking around today with ghost-like almost non-existent souls, because they are so focussed on themselves and their own needs, often to the detriment of others. They will pay a dear price for their selfishness. There are even religions which preach selfishness: just go meditate upon the mountaintops to get yourself to heaven. I disagree. You would be better off serving lunch at a soup kitchen than sitting alone on a mountain top focussing on yourself.

I give the example of one very celestial day Jim and I had a few years ago: It was a Saturday morning and all FOUR of our kids had baseball/softball/tball games that day. Jim and I split up and literally ran and drove frantically back and forth so we could at least get a few cheering words in for each kid. Matt hit a Grand Slam home run that day, which we both miraculously saw. All the kids did great - even Jake who was so excited at his first T-ball game that he hit the ball to the outfield and then ran to THIRD BASE! We all went out for pizza afterwards and laughed and talked and High-5'ed each other. A truly celestial day.

I would lay down my life for any one of my kids or husband if called upon to do so. If any one of them needed a heart transplant, I would gladly let the doctors cut mine out. But, thankfully, God does not call upon us to do that but rather calls upon us to give up our lives one day at a time by living for each other. Much more joyful! God must be a pretty smart guy.