Tonight, after Family Home Evening, we were sitting in the living room visiting. Family Home Evening is a night each week that we set aside to spend time with our family. It’s sad that you have to schedule family nights but, in today’s society, it is necessary. During the evening we talk about family needs and plan schedules but we also discuss values and gospel principles. We teach our children standards and how to stay moral and focused when social pressure weighs on them. Hopefully they listen, learn, understand and apply the moral standards we try to teach.
But my words aren’t about Family Home Evening. They are about what happened after Family Home Evening. We were all sitting around visiting and joking, not ready to separate and go back to our different lives.
Two of my sons, including my oldest—who just returned from serving a mission for our church—started singing some funny song together. Then, the younger singing son said the song reminded him of Megan. We all started laughing.
Now, there are a lot of Megans in this world so, I guess, we all thought of a different Megan. A few moments later, when my son said something that better identified the exact Megan, I looked at him, startled, and said, “You mean Megan A.?”
As he prepared to answer, my returned missionary son said, “Don’t answer that. Her eyebrows are raised. When she raises her eyebrows you are supposed to give her the answer she wants to hear.”
Now, for all of you, I know I don't have to say anymore. You know that is funny because it is SO true. But then my returned missinary son continued; mimicking questions they’ve all heard from me. “You did what?” (He raised his eyebrows to punctuate the question.) “You want to go where?” (Another raise of his eyebrows.) “You were with who?” (He raised his eyebrows again.)
By this time I was laughing so hard, I couldn’t breathe.
“Mom,” he said. “I can see right through you…at least when your eyebrows are raised.”
Note to Self: Practice asking questions without raising your eyebrows!
Showing posts with label laughter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label laughter. Show all posts
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Love and laughter are the music of home
.
I have often said that the sweetest sound I hear is the sound of my children laughing together and enjoying each other. How grateful I am that we hear that sound often in our home.
However, when they do argue or spit out insulting words at one another, a spirit changes inside of the home and something inside of me grows grey and aches. It is a sorrow I cannot explain but it is a feeling I know Heavenly Father understands, personally.
In Moses 7 Enoch beheld the heavens and the earth. He saw generation upon generation and he beheld Satan and his angels rejoicing at the darkness upon the earth.
Then he was blessed to see righteous “angels descending out of heaven, bearing testimony of the Father and Son; and the Holy Ghost fell upon many, and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion.”
Then, after this marvelous sight Enoch records “that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people and he wept.
“And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity? And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations.”
Then Enoch points out the wonderful things the Lord has done: He is always there for us, He has taken Zion to his own bosom and “naught but peace, justice and truth is the habitation of thy throne…how is it thou canst weep?”
Then God, the ever-loving and involved Father replies, “these thy brethren, they are the workmanship of mine own hands and I gave unto them their knowledge…(and) agency…And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another and that they should choose me, their Father…but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood.”
He saw His children hating each other, bickering, arguing, not getting along...and worse.
And because they could not get along, He saw someting more--“misery shall be their doom...wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?”
He did not want them to suffer because they could not love each other and get along. He felt concern for their future.
Then, when Enoch saw that the Lord’s plan, when he understood the depth of love--and of the sorrow--the Lord felt, and comprehended the sacrifice He and his Only Begotten were willing to make so His children would better understand love, “Enoch knew..and wept, and his heart swelled wide as eternity; and his bowels yearned; and all eternity shook.”
God doesn’t just want us to learn to share the toys. He wants us to learn to share the world and He weeps when we cannot do so simple a thing as love one another. He weeps because He knows if we can't share and love each other here, we won't be able to there.
Why? Because we won't make into Heaven. "that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world." (Alma 34:34)
Heaven is for families who love each other and for people who love all mankind.
How I love to hear the music of good, righteous laughter; of loving families enjoying each other; of strangers loving and helping strangers. It lifts home--and the entire world--a little closer to Heaven.
.
I have often said that the sweetest sound I hear is the sound of my children laughing together and enjoying each other. How grateful I am that we hear that sound often in our home.
However, when they do argue or spit out insulting words at one another, a spirit changes inside of the home and something inside of me grows grey and aches. It is a sorrow I cannot explain but it is a feeling I know Heavenly Father understands, personally.
In Moses 7 Enoch beheld the heavens and the earth. He saw generation upon generation and he beheld Satan and his angels rejoicing at the darkness upon the earth.
Then he was blessed to see righteous “angels descending out of heaven, bearing testimony of the Father and Son; and the Holy Ghost fell upon many, and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion.”
Then, after this marvelous sight Enoch records “that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people and he wept.
“And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity? And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations.”
Then Enoch points out the wonderful things the Lord has done: He is always there for us, He has taken Zion to his own bosom and “naught but peace, justice and truth is the habitation of thy throne…how is it thou canst weep?”
Then God, the ever-loving and involved Father replies, “these thy brethren, they are the workmanship of mine own hands and I gave unto them their knowledge…(and) agency…And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another and that they should choose me, their Father…but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood.”
He saw His children hating each other, bickering, arguing, not getting along...and worse.
And because they could not get along, He saw someting more--“misery shall be their doom...wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?”
He did not want them to suffer because they could not love each other and get along. He felt concern for their future.
Then, when Enoch saw that the Lord’s plan, when he understood the depth of love--and of the sorrow--the Lord felt, and comprehended the sacrifice He and his Only Begotten were willing to make so His children would better understand love, “Enoch knew..and wept, and his heart swelled wide as eternity; and his bowels yearned; and all eternity shook.”
God doesn’t just want us to learn to share the toys. He wants us to learn to share the world and He weeps when we cannot do so simple a thing as love one another. He weeps because He knows if we can't share and love each other here, we won't be able to there.
Why? Because we won't make into Heaven. "that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world." (Alma 34:34)
Heaven is for families who love each other and for people who love all mankind.
How I love to hear the music of good, righteous laughter; of loving families enjoying each other; of strangers loving and helping strangers. It lifts home--and the entire world--a little closer to Heaven.
.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)