3 Unexpected Experiences

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

3 Unexpected Experiences

We just got back from Andy's graduation, and it was great! It was so wonderful to have our family together again for those few short days and especially in celebration of Andy's wonderful accomplishment. Peggy and Derrick were great travel companions/helpers, and I think my parents enjoyed the break from their long-term house guests.

Three little things that caught me off guard on our trip:

1 - At graduation I actually cried as we all had our hands on our hearts and we listened to the music of the Star Spangled Banner. It really brought home to me what an arrival Andy's graduation is for both him and me. We both have a great sense of patriotism and I am so proud of him for his willingness to serve our country in such a direct way. I realized that our family is offering our husband and dad to our country in both his time and our risks. I understand that if I have to stand and listen to that song play while his body lie prematurely in a casket, that it is a choice we accepted beforehand.

2 - Andy had a wonderful firearms instructor who supported him above and beyond the call of duty. This instructor also happens to be LDS. Here in Utah it seems that everyone is "Brother" or "Sister" so and so and we know that about each other, but when we run into other church members in their professional capacity we generally call them by their professional name. With that in mind, I had my turn to meet Mr. F and wanted to appropriately respect his career accomplishments by acknowledging him as he is known in the work place. Before I opened my mouth, however, he reached out, shook my hand and very gently said, "Sister Shadel, it is so nice to meet you." I was literally speechless at the intimacy in that introduction and was struck, as I never have been before by the sacredness of our relationships here on this earth as brothers and sisters. I realized that he was so eager to meet me, not as a student's wife, but as a Sister in the gospel. It was a great eye opening example to me.

3 - Along similar lines, I was touched when we attended the small branch in Artesia. Having grown up in a ward that easily had ten to twenty missionaries serving at a time, I have only just heard missionaries prayed for in a ward setting when they are getting ready to leave. I was touched, when on an ordinary Sunday, the branch included in their opening prayer, a blessing on the Elder they had out. They prayed for him by name. It was sweet to hear and I thought how fortunate that Elder is to have so many people praying not just a prayer that generically includes him, but one that is specifically for him as he serves the Lord.

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Family Proclamation

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.