Family Relations Blog

Secrets of Managing Personal Finances B-U-D-G-E-T We are all looking for that one-size-fits-all solution to our budgeting woes—like checking the boxes and magically watching the budget balance itself. That’s not ever going to happen. Budgets are as personal as each of us. And your unique family situation, needs, income, and location make it impossible to create a tool that will balance your budget for you. So here’s the secret: You have to create your budget yourself. You have to watch it weekly, and you may have to change a few of your spending habits. No one said it would be easy. But the peace of mind is worth it. So the first question is “Can you change?” Let’s look at the tips for changing behavior before we lay down the laws of budgeting… 1-    Recruit others to help you change-your spouse, your friends, and your coworkers. 2-    Create reminders. Make cards that say “Do I really need this?” Put them in your wallet, on your refrigerator and...

I recently had an encounter where I had asked my friend to substitute as chorister for me because I would be out of town. I simply asked him if he would lead for that meeting and he agreed. When the meeting was coming to a close, my roommate asked me “who was supposed to lead?” I was really confused because I had had it covered. My friend was sitting in the audience but never got up and led the music. Afterwards I asked him what happened. And he said that he thought someone was going to come up to him and inform him that he was leading that day. It was a miscommunication on both of our parts! I assumed he would just do it, and he assumed that someone would talk to him about it. I learned my lesson and now I’ll have to make sure they understand it completely. I love this talk given by Elder Marvin J. Ashton in April 1976 about communication. He gives 7 steps to better our communication. “Communications in the family will often be a sacrifice because we are expected to use our time,...

Strengthening the Family—the Basic Unit of the Church Spencer W. Kimball The family is the basic unit of the kingdom of God on earth. The Church can be no healthier than its families. No government can long endure without strong families. Never before have there been so many insidious influences threatening the family as today, around the world. Many of these evil influences come right into the home—through television, radio, magazines, newspapers, and other forms of literature. By being alert to what enters your home, you can do much in helping your family seek that which is “virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy.” The Importance of the Family L. Tom Perry In a world of turmoil and uncertainty, it is more important than ever to make our families the center of our lives and the top of our priorities. Families lie at the center of our Heavenly Father’s plan. This statement from “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” declares the responsibilities of ...

Physical Intimacy is Ordained of God: “Our natural affections are planted in us by the Spirit of God, for a wise purpose; and they are the very main-springs of life and happiness-they are the cement of all virtuous and heavenly society-they are the essence of charity or love…”  “There is not a more pure and holy principle in existence than the affection which glows in the bosom of a virtuous man for his companion…” “The fact is, God made man, male and female; he planted in their bosoms those affections which are calculated to promote their happiness and union.” Elder Parley P. Pratt Purpose of Intimacy: “You love, like a flower, must be nourished. There will come a great love and interdependence between you, for you love is a divine one. It is deep, inclusive, comprehensive. It is not like that association of the world which is misnamed love, but which is mostly physical attraction. When marriage is based on this only, the parties soon tire of each other. There is a ...

I love the words from President Kimball’s talk “Oneness in Marriage.” “Honorable, happy, and successful marriage is surely the principal goal of every normal person. Marriage is perhaps the most vital of all the decisions and has the most far-reaching effects, for it has to do not only with immediate happiness, but also with eternal joys. It affects not only the two people involved, but also their families and particularly their children and their children’s children down through the many generations. In selecting a companion for life and for eternity, certainly the most careful planning and thinking and praying and fasting should be done to be sure that of all the decisions, this one must not be wrong. In true marriage there must be a union of minds as well as of hearts. Emotions must not wholly determine decisions, but the mind and the heart, strengthened by fasting and prayer and serious consideration, will give one a maximum chance of marital happiness. It brings with it sacr...