Monday, November 16, 2015

Family Crisis

We all know that every family has there issues. This week was pretty hard because my family has had personal experience with this. I recently wrote two papers about my family origin one for my family relation class and another one for my Family 100 class. I connected a Newtons cradle to my family and how the strings were my mom.. my dad and step dad the poles and the balls the kids. I also included my oldest brothers as the hands which kind of set things in motion.
In my other paper I looked at my family through the scope of the proclamation. I want to add this in my blog because it will help those understand my background and that even though I talk about making the perfect family I don't come from a perfect family but I love my family.

Family Roots

I.                   Demographics
I grew up in a small town in Utah called Magna. I have four bothers and one sister; I am the youngest. My parents got divorced when I was seven. I lived with my mom, who now being single, worked through the week. She decided to go back to school to be a nurse so she could support her six kids. My dad had made an agreement to pay child support, but not being able to keep a job because of his bipolar, paid it from his social security. The four youngest siblings, Jessica, David, Andrew and I would go to my dad’s house on the weekends. He lived with his parents so we had time with Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa. People told me I was too little to really know what was going on, so I wasn’t too affected. Family life was hard, but it brought our family closer somehow and has definitely shaped a part of who I am today.
II.                The Family Proclamation to the World
In 1995, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints came out with a proclamation to the world in regards to families in and out of the Church. It has helped me see where God’s family goals are so that I may also guide my life through this vision.
A.    Sacred Ordinances and Covenants
I have learned about how families can be together forever through temples. The document states that “Holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally”. This is only possible if those covenants are made in the temple and individuals keep those promises throughout their lives.
My family was sealed together before I was born. When my parents got divorced, they were still sealed together. When my mom decided to get remarried she wrote a letter explaining her situation and why she wanted to break the seal with my dad. Because of the circumstances she got a reply, and the seal was taken off so that she could be sealed to her new husband. Charles, my step dad, is a convert to the church, and when his year mark arrived they were sealed together for time and all eternity. This was quite confusing for the family for a time because we didn’t know who was going to be sealed to whom, if we were stilled sealed to both our mom and dad or Charles. I am grateful though that we have those solid links that keeps me hopeful that if I continue to follow Christ I will be able to live with family throughout eternity.
B.     Husbands, Wives, and Children.
Things weren’t always the easiest growing up, and it is true that I was pretty little. It didn’t really hit me as hard as the other kids at the time. God’s ideal family did not happen for us. We strived to have Family Home Evening, scripture study, and family prayer. My dad worked as a truck driver when I was young so I felt that our home was more of a matriarchal family, with the addition of my oldest brother Chris filling in the role of father figure.
i.                    My Father
I want to preface this with the thought that I love my dad very much and we have a great relationship. He is a different man from the guy I have heard about from my younger days. There was a problem because my dad suffers from Bipolar Disorder. Although, he only realized this many years after their divorce. Because of this, it was really hard for my dad to keep a job. His anger issues got him in trouble, getting in a range of fights with his boss’ and customers. So fulfilling that role of “Providing the necessities of life and protection for their families” was a struggle. My dad was also physically abusive with my mom and my two older brothers. It’s hard to feel safe with someone who is the source of fear in the home.
            My mom wanted him to get help and go to counseling but he refused. Dad did preside in our home but not really out of “love and righteousness”. With bipolar there are highs and lows. I remember him getting upset at cashiers or sometimes he would make silly jokes to them. It used to be pretty bad but now mostly he is just a funny guy since he has been able to recognize those bipolar moments. As I mention earlier, he has completely changed. One of the things that is so great about him is that he is a friend. I can always count on him. He makes me feel important and loved. I have always had a good relationship with my dad even when I was younger, so I’ve been told.
            Because of these experiences, I would really like to find someone who is able to provide for me and my family “in love and righteousness”. I feel if my partner were ever to physically abuse me I hope and believe that I would walk out at that moment. Now, I don’t know if that is rational or not. I might be overly sensitive to that or it might be a really good thing. My paradigm might be off.
ii.                  My Mother
I have mentioned a bit about her earlier, but I would like to go more in depth. She isn’t perfect, of course, but she is remarkable. She did a great job of trying to “establish and maintain principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities”. Of course trying to get all 6 kids gathered and interested with age groups varying is very hard. I think this is one of the great things about the proclamation, though, because it teaches us to accommodate and work together to achieve the goal of a celestial family. Not all of us kids could see it that way; arguing, fighting, and teasing were often outcomes. Family Home Evening, scripture study, and prayer did bring us closer together a lot of the time too.
            The rules she set up were inspired as well. We each had a night to cook, had a chore, and set up consequences for disobedience. The main one that is coming to my mind is the rule of taking without asking (aka: stealing), where we would have to pay back double of what we took, and if it was a package of something we would have to repay them with a whole other one. I really like this because one time, someone took one of my Creamies and I got a whole other box of Creamies! It was great when I was on the receiving end, but when I had to pay back my sister double of what I took from here it was a great lesson to me not to take things without asking.
iii.                My Siblings
I have always loved how the order of my siblings has gone; two boys followed by a girl repeated twice, with me as the youngest. We all play a part in our family. At times I really felt that we “Loved and served” each other, especially when we were at rock bottom. I felt that if we had to live on the street that they would let me sleep in the card board box. At other times, we probably really would have killed each other.
One of my favorite things we did as a family is something that my mom set up as the “Love Bug”; it was this cute little stuffed animal bug that had heart antennas. Whoever had the love bug would give a secret service and leave the love bug in place of the act then that person would pass it on. I loved this. I taught it to a couple of families on my mission, and it is one thing that I will definitely be doing in my own home.
C.     The Individual
All this information is great if we put it to good use. There is no point in giving counsel if it is not followed. For me personally, these things are so important to follow and have my family be guided by. It’s a great way for me to have a divine perspective to outline my goals in life. I know that I will also not be perfect, but I will try my best to start having family home evening, pray, and scripture study from the start of my marriage. This will help me prepare and have the habits to guide the little ones who are placed in my care.
III.             When All Is Said and Done
What a blessing it is to have the “Family: A Proclamation to the World” to be a staple for communities and families everywhere with such great promised blessings. I love this document as well for its powerful warning
“We warn individuals… 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 nation the calamities foretold by prophets”.

I do not want to be one of the ones who contributes to the calamities of the world. Rather, I want to be “a responsible citizen” who “promotes those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family”. I will strive to do all I can to learn about the family so that I may be a tool in God’s plan to accomplish these things. 

I know that if we follow the proclamation we will be able to over come the crisis that come our way and as we develop working on correct boundaries and family systems we will find love and peace in our homes.
Here is a link to view the full text Family Proclamation

Saturday, November 7, 2015

The "S" Word

I am going to try to be Sensitive about the Sacred topic of Sex. Most of the time we only hear about sex when it is on the television, in music, or the from our peers who take it and expose it like it's something casual.

It's hard sometimes to think about sex as a dirty or any of the other diminishing words to describe this Special thing. Although I don't talk down at it I do find myself making light of the subject (which is wrong) but that is how I grew up. My family talked openly and frequently about it.  This has made many unclear boundaries. For me it is really hard to know where the boundaries are and how I can talk with out going to far.

We can compare it to temples and how it is sacred and individual. If we continue to take it out of context in our own lives like the media has it won't be as great as it could have been.