The Sunflower

 

Quite a number of years ago, a dear friend gave me a packet of sunflower seeds to plant in my garden.  This was back when some of my children were still somewhat interested in at least planting the garden each spring, so we planted the seeds in several of their individual 4 X 4 foot garden plots, and the seeds grew into huge, healthy, plants that produced multitudes of gorgeous pinkish purple sunflowers.   We saved many of the seeds, and salted and roasted them, and there were still plenty for the birds.   As the birds came to the plants and feasted, many of the seeds fell to the ground where they remained during the winter, and the following year sprouted and grew, not into the huge pinkish purplish blossoms, but into the beautiful, ordinary, yellow blossoms that you see all over our area this time of year.     For several years we allowed the plants to grow, until they threatened to take over the entire garden, and we relegated them to grow only along the northern edge of the gardens.   I still leave several plants each spring (even though they require a fair amount of work to clean out each fall) as I still enjoy their bright loveliness in my hodgepodge of a garden.  

Today we heard an analogy of the sunflower; how during the long night time the petals of the sunflower blossoms droop, till the sun rises over the horizon each morning, and the sunflower lifts its head to the warmth and light of the sun.   Throughout the day the sunflower follows the sun as it moves across the sky from the east to the west, gathering as much energy from the source of light as it can until the evening when the sun sinks once again below the horizon and the petals of the sunflower again droop, waiting patiently for the source of light and strength to return.

We, too, have a source of light and energy and strength:  The Son of God, Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ,  by Harry Anderson

Source

 

 

Am I following the example of the sunflower?

 

Am I keeping my face turned towards the source of light in my life?

 

Am I taking the time to pray morning and night and throughout the day?

 

Am I taking time to read his word through the scriptures?

 

Do I have pictures of him close at hand to remind me to keep him central in my life?

 

Do I have pictures of his holy temples close at hand to remind me of the way back home?

 

Salt Lake LDS Temple

Source 



Family

Nearly twenty years ago on Saturday, September 13, 1995, President Gordon B Hinckley of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints presented The Proclamation On the Family to the world during the annual meeting of the Relief Society, the women's organization of the church.  I remember listening as he read, and knowing how true and wonderful these words are, but had no idea how vital this document would become as the world's ideas and practice of traditional family values has changed.

I'm very grateful for my family.  I'm grateful for my own dear parents and the example they have set over the years since they first created our family when they married back in 1949.  I'm grateful for my own dear husband, who has always loved me, supported me in so many ways, and treated me as his equal partner in our marriage.  I'm grateful for the talented and loving dear children who have joined our family, my siblings  my dear in laws, and all of my extended family members who strive to have happy and successful families.   None of us are perfect, but I can honestly say that our family is the greatest blessing and support system in my life.  I'm grateful for this guide that has been given to us from God, through his prophets, to help us hold fast to what is good and true in spite of confusion in a troubled world.

Since some may not be familiar with  The Proclamation On the Family, I'm including the words of the proclamation below as found at https://www.lds.org/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-and-church-history-student-study-guide/the-worldwide-church/the-family-a-proclamation-to-the-world?lang=eng



Before President Gordon B. Hinckley read “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” at a general meeting of the Relief Society in September 1995, he said: “With so much of sophistry that is passed off as truth, with so much of deception concerning standards and values, with so much of allurement and enticement to take on the slow stain of the world, we have felt to warn and forewarn. In furtherance of this we of the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles now issue a proclamation to the Church and to the world as a declaration and reaffirmation of standards, doctrines, and practices relative to the family which the prophets, rs, and revelators of this church have repeatedly stated throughout its history” (“Stand Strong against the Wiles of the World,”Ensign,Nov. 1995, 100).

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

1. “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.

2. “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.

3. “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.

4. “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.

5. “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.

6. “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 father—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

7. “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.

8. “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.

9. “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” (Ensign,Nov. 1995, 102).