We Really Are That Happy

Chris and I were asked to do a little lesson/discussion at last night's Relief Society Back to School activity. We talked about how getting back to basics is so important to the strength of our marriage and family. Here are the basics:

1. Daily prayer (personal, couple, family)

2. Daily study of the Book of Mormon (personal, couple, family)

3. Regular temple attendance

4. Service

5. Family night/date night/quality time together

6. Weekly inventory

Prayer and scripture study are obvious, aren't they? But so vital to the life and strength of a marriage and family. We originally just kept saying "scripture study", but as we got further in our preparation of the lesson we knew we had to specify the Book of Mormon. There is an undeniable power and influence that comes into your life as you are elbow-deep in the Book of Mormon each day. Other scriptures and conference talks, etc, should come into play as well.

Temple attendance is another rattled-off answer that weighs so much. Regular temple attendance is a real safeguard to our marriage and family. And it is very easy to say that because the temple is 2 hours away and because we have 2 little girls that "this just isn't our season to be regular temple attenders." But it's never not anyone's season to make every sacrifice necessary to be in the temple regularly. We're told to be in the temple as often as our circumstances permit, and I believe our circumstances can permit a little more than we're permitting them to right now. We need it that badly.

Selflessness facilitates spiritual progression. It's important for us to be serving each other within the marriage and family. When Chris and I got married we were given the advice to always put each other on a pedestal. If we could just remember that all the time, and serve each other accordingly, our dynamic would be even more harmonious than it already is. Also, serving others together as a family helps us feel the spirit together and draw much strength from that. Selfless service is as important to our strength of spirituality as any of these other elements.

Family night, date night, and quality time together as a family are obviously big contributors to our strength and success as a family. For us, we make sure we're laughing and getting out and mixing it up as much as we can. All of us need that excitement.

Chris and I try to bookend each week with a Sunday night inventory. It's always begun and ended with a prayer, otherwise who knows what direction it might go. We take that opportunity to see where each of us is at spiritually and emotionally. It's a needed and fantastic opportunity for good communication.

We had a really good time putting this together, and we challenged the Acoma ladies to apply the basics and then testify about their experience doing so in the next testimony meeting. I'm eager to see how it goes. In our own family, I know every one of these elements is so important. And I'm thrilled to have a husband I don't have to drag along to be on the same page with me about them. It's why we're as happy as we are.