A few weeks ago we had a family meeting with all of Devin’s family and decided that we need to do more things as a family. We have three standing activities each month now (two Sunday dinners and one FHE) which seems like a lot but it seems like the blessing are already flowing for shifting everyone’s focus back on the family.
This last Monday had our first FHE. Shawn and Megan hosted it at their home. Shawn based the lesson from Elder Wirthlin’s talk from this past conference. Even before Shawn’s lesson, this was one of my favorite talks from conference. It is entitled Come What May and Love It. I loved the stories he told and the principles he focused on. It seems like when it comes to trials everyone is always saying they are thankful for them and they are such a blessing. Elder Wirthlin said it best when saying,
“How can we love days that are filled with sorrow? We can’t—at least not in the moment. I don’t think my mother was suggesting that we suppress discouragement or deny the reality of pain. I don’t think she was suggesting that we smother unpleasant truths beneath a cloak of pretended happiness. But I do believe that the way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life.”
The activities that we’ve had so far have made it easier for everyone to get to know each other better and strengthen our relationships.