I found our last discussion of the semester very enlightening. The part that I found most useful as we talked about aging was that Life is a journey and aging is a part of that journey. There are many challenges that can and do arise as we age in life but there are so many opportunities that we have to grow a better relationship with ourselves, our spouse, children, and our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I loved as we watched the video of Jon Schmidt and Steven Sharp mixing love song and viva la Vida and the different meaning we can pull from it. such as when we first start out in our marriages we we have this love story going on, we have fallen in love with such an amazing person and we are building that love with each other as we go through our marriage, and then as the song changes to viva la Vida, which means to live life, and we live life through the good and bad, trying to make the best of it and have fun at the same time. than the song switches back to love story suggesting that either we are re-building that love as it has been all over the place throughout the years or we are just continuing to build and strengthen it as we now have new opportunities with our aging years. 

     This week we are talking about divorce, and the many challenges that come as well as the trends that are going on with it today. One thing that we talked about at the beginning was how divorce seems like such a gloomy topic but yet the more that we learn about it, the trends, and issues with it the better off we are in our own marriages. Brother Williams my professor talked about it like this; he said it is like finding out on the news that there has been a road closure, now is that a good or a bad thing. well I said that it could potentially be a bad thing if that is where you were going to travel and now you have to go out of your way. He enlightened me by saying that not only is it not a bad thing but it is in fact a wonderful and amazing thing because now that we know about it we are able to make adjustments and will save a lot of time and even be a little safer in the long run.
     This is the same way with divorce. If we can gain a better knowledge and understanding about divorce, warning signs, and even help methods than we will be able to prevent against it. Not only that but we will also be able to share that knowledge with our children and those around us who might be struggling with their own marriages or who just might be curious.
     Wow isn't that Amazing!!! Just by understanding we can strengthen our marriages and help strengthen others as well, it is a win win situation. We are then able to be better tools in our Heavenly Fathers hands to the blessing or His children.

     As part of our discussion last week on parenting we read an article that had to deal with ministering angels. I have always known that there are ministering angels as well as have heard many stories dealing with that topic but I haven't felt that it has pertained to my life. After I read the article I started to think about all the times that I have received help to make it through something hard or challenging in my life. I know that those who have helped me are those who love and care about me, but being that I don't personally know any of them it hasn't really had much of an impact. Well since my grandpa's passing I have thought about it more and I now wonder how many times he is there helping me and feel great appreciation for him and for my Heavenly Father.
     We are never alone in life no matter how dark it might seem, there is always someone there  to lift our burdens and make them lighter, and Heavenly Father does that through ministering angels, those family members who love and care for us are there cheering us on, and giving us help. This is such a comforting thought to think about and I love it.

     Though money isn't everything money plays a large role in the relationship of husband's and wives. Both of them come from different backgrounds and as such each have a different spending style. There was an article written by  Michael De Groote about downsizing from a dual to a single income, and one of my favorite parts of it was there was a couple that talked about how when the they decided that the wife was going to stay home and take care of the children it wasn't a big deal for them because though they both had jobs they were only living on his income. Every cent that she earned went into a savings account so though she eventually quit they still had the same income as when she was working, it's ingenious. If we can learn healthy spending and saving habits than we will be that much better off in our marriages.

     President Harold B. Lee made a profound statement about communication, he said that we need to communicate so clearly that not only can we be understood but that we cannot be misunderstood. Communication is the most important tool that we have in this life and that is because we can't not communicate. We are always communicating through our body language and words, even if we don't want to speak to someone we are communicating that through the way we act, by not talking etc.
     The reason why people struggle in their relationships with other is because they don't know how to communicate well. When we can understand the different ways of communication and take the time to properly convey the messages that we are trying to get across than we can greatly increase our relationships with those around us and especially those who we love the most.

     we talked about the stresses that happen in life and especially in the family, and how there are numerous potentials for a crisis to happen or for something to go wrong. a Crisis really mean Danger + Opportunity because they are experiences that if handled the wrong way can send us spiraling down to destruction but they are also opportunities for us to grow and strengthen ourselves and our relationships with those around us specifically our family.
     I love that through the help of my earthly family as well as my heavenly family I am able to make it through anything that the world has to offer. That doesn't mean life is going to be easy but what it does mean is that I have the opportunity to take what seems like a horrible situation and turn it into one that is enlightening and strengthening. I also have the opportunity to positively increase my relationships with those who I love so much.

          This weeks discussion was about physical intimacy between husbands and wives, and the trends that are happening with this. It was also about Sex education and teaching that to children. Something that I found very interesting was one of the classmates made a comment  and they said that "sex is sacred". When I heard this it made me think of the temple and how the things that go on in the temple are sacred they aren't secret.
          There is a misconception about the temple in that a lot of people feel that we shouldn't talk about anything that goes on in the temple but we can and we should, that is why we need to familiarize ourselves with it better and know what we can say and what should be kept sacred.
          This is the same way we should teach our kids about sex, it should be talked about regularly, within the right boundaries and as a sacred thing. When we can do this our kids won't have to hear these things from someone else (which they shouldn't anyways, just like things of the gospel). They will trust us because we are honest with them and give them the answers they are looking for, and another very important part is that they will look as sex as a sacred thing. They will respect it, which will help them as others continue to distort the truth and beauty of sex, and when it comes time for them to participate in the beautiful experience with their spouses it won't be an awkward, and a bad thing. I think that part of the reason why some people can't see sex as a spiritual experience is that their views of it have become distorted through the teachings of the world.
          When we truly understand something it dispels all of the lies that are out there and we see things as they truly are, and as they should be.

As I have been thinking about our discussion on gender roles, and gender roles in the family. Something that occurred to me was saying that we need to raise our boys more like our girls, and that we all need to be equal is in direct opposition to God and his plan for his children. We each have specific roles and by changing some of those we are slowly destroying the family. For example men have a duty to provide, preside and protect their families and if we are raising them more like girls than more and more boys won't be capable of fulfilling their duties. They won't know how to work with their wives in presiding over the family. They won't be capable of providing for a family, because they weren't raised to do those things, they weren't taught that those things are their duties. 

As I read about the immigration of Mexican families I think of how much love they have for their children that they are willing to work so hard so that their children can have a better life than they do. But I also wonder if the sacrifices they make in order for their children isn’t hurting more than it is helping. There are so many comments from those interviewed about how they used to be so happy in Mexico and now they aren’t happy, they don’t have the family to come home to or the close relationships with certain family members. Is success in life really worth the price of your family?

So this week was really interesting. The one thing that stuck out to me was on the topic of Geno-grams. I have never done one up and so when I heard that we have the opportunity to choose to do one I looked more into it and it really confused me. So even though I have now idea what i am doing I feel impressed to look more into it and get one going, this ought to be fun.

     Today I was thinking about this past week, the things that we talked about in class and how I am going to apply those things into my life. I would have to say one of the most profound things that I have learned (which is one I already know but seem to forget from time to time) is that if we are going to receive answers to our prayers than we need to be willing to do what Heavenly Father wants us to do. What is the point in asking for an answer to something if are going to reject it because it is something that we don't want to do or that we don't like.
     As we walk into the dark we need to trust that Heavenly Father is going to light the next stepping stone on our path. When we begin to do this not only can we gain a testimony that Heavenly Father answers our prayers and that He will always be there for us, but He can know that whatever He tells us we are trustworthy and are going to do it.

This is the first blog that i have ever made in my life and as such i have pretty much no idea what i am doing so please bear with me and this should be a lot of fun.

So I know this doesn't have to do with my family class but this is one of the funniest videos i have seen!