Fun on the rail journey

Wholesome recreational activities are a fun part of the marriage and family journey.  A wholesome recreational activity can be as simple as a walk around the neighborhood or the local park.  The activity can be a quick visit to a favorite ice cream or yogurt shop.  Putting together a jigsaw puzzle, playing a board or card game, and watching a movie are all simple, fun, family activities.  

 

Wholesome recreational activities can also be planned.  Vacations are wholesome recreational activities that can last for days or even a week or two.  Family vacations can be camping in the forest by a lake or staying in hotels in a large city.  Families can see Mickey Mouse at Disneyland or giant redwood trees in Yosemite.   

 A wholesome activity can even be an “old-time rail journey!”  For a real journey on an old time train try the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Train in Colorado or the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad in New Mexico.

Whatever wholesome recreational activity you choose, be sure to enjoy it and your family!!!

 

Working on the Journey

The marriage journey is a long one of work, work, and more work.  Hopefully, when two people marry they have both already learned to work hard.   Besides  employment outside the home there will be cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing, gardening, weeding –the list is endless.  When children join a family the work increases.  Then there is feeding, diapering, washing, bathing—the list is endless.

Teaching children how to work should begin early when children are willing to do simple chores around the home.  Even though in many cases it can be easier to do things ourselves, children like to feel and need to feel that they are “helping.” Teaching a child to work sets a good foundation for the rest of the child’s life. 

Knowing how to work hard will also help a child spiritually.  They can learn how to do the spiritual work of praying, fasting and studying the scriptures.  Hard work will prepare them for Church service and for a mission.

We all need to learn to work and work hard.  “We all have work; let no one shirk.”  (Hymns #252)

Compassion on the rail journey

Compassion is an important principle listed in the Family Proclamation.  The dictionary defines compassion as “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune and is accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.”  

The Savior is the great example of compassion.  There are at least eight references about the compassion of the Savior in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.  In the Book of Mormon when the Savior appears to the Nephites, the scriptures record that the Savior “cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and beheld they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them.”  (3 Nephi 17:5)

The Savior told them, “My bowels are filled with compassion towards you.”   He then asked them if they had any sick, lame, blind, halt, maimed, leprous, withered, deaf or “afflicted in any manner?”  He instructed the people to bring the afflicted to him and he would heal them.  He told them, “I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy.  (3 Nephi 17:6-7)

We need to learn to do as the Savior did when he visited the Nephites.  He observed the people he was with and perceived their need. He then applied compassion and decided to stay with them a little longer and heal their afflictions.

Sister Linda K. Burton, the Relief Society General President, has suggested that we need to “First observe, then serve.” She also said, “What better place to first observe and then serve than in the home?”  As we observe and serve with compassion our marriages and families will be blessed.

The Glue of Love

The word love is mentioned five times in the Family Proclamation.  According to the Proclamation husbands and wives are admonished “to love and care for each other and for their children.”  Parents are told that they “have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness.”  Parents are also told that they need to teach their children “to love and serve one another.”   Love is one of the principles listed that helps to make a successful marriage and family.  Additionally, the Proclamation states that “fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness.”

Why is love so important in marriages and families?  Because love is the glue that holds marriages and families together.  When we love someone we want the best for them.  We are willing to sacrifice for them.  When we love someone we are willing to put their needs before our own.  We are willing to give our time and money and resources to make their life the best that it can be.

The Savior taught, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”  Surely, those of our own family are our closest neighbors and deserve our most devoted love.

Respect

One definition of respect is “a sense of worth or excellence of a person.”  Respect is one of the foundation stones of establishing a successful marriage.  When a young couple marries they each need to have a sense of worth and a sense of excellence for their spouse.  This feeling translates into actions of love and kindness.

It is a blessing to watch couples who respect one another.  The husband opens the car door for his wife.  He speaks of her good traits and her accomplishments.  The wife praises her husband and supports him.  Even when they look at each other there is approval and love.

In contrast, it is sad and heart-wrenching to watch couples who do not have respect for one another.  They speak unkindly to each other in loud, angry voices.  They belittle one another in front of others.  They are unable to see the good in each other.  They have very little toleration for the imperfections of each other.  These actions cause spouses to suffer and can cause a marriage to end.

In order to keep a marriage strong, spouses must respect one another.  This can also bless their family.   As children see respectful interactions between their parents they can learn respect for their parents, their siblings, and for their future spouses.  

Traveling with Repentance and Forgiveness

In the “Family Proclamation” forgiveness follows repentance in the list of successful marriage and family principles.  We all prefer a smooth marriage and family rail journey, so when we hurt others it is essential to make amends.   When we repent and make amends we want others to forgive us.  We prefer that the forgiveness happens fast so that the incident can be forgotten and we can be “done” with our repentance. 

Those who repent and those who forgive must exercise patience and forbearance with each other.  Often those who have been wronged can be resistant to forgiveness, especially when they have been deeply hurt.  Just as it takes more time for a deep cut with stitches to heal than a paper cut, a person who has been deeply wounded will need more time to heal and forgive. 

As we journey, we find that we are never “done” with repentance or forgiveness.  We will continue to make mistakes.  Our fellow travelers will do the same.  Therefore, we will all continue to need repentance and forgiveness.  Repentance and forgiveness will need to travel with us for our entire lifetime!

"Speedily Repent"

One of the principles listed in the “Family Proclamation” is repentance.  Repentance is essential for everyone who is on the marriage and family rail journey.  When we are married and part of a family, it is especially easy to make mistakes because we are close to each other—riding in the same train car and sitting in seats next to each other.  Because of this closeness, we not only see the mistakes of family members, but we see the mistakes with a magnifying glass.   

Because we all make mistakes on a regular basis, we need to learn to “speedily repent, yea, very speedily.” (D&C 136:35)  We need to learn to say “I’m sorry” and to try to make amends when we offend others.  As we try to repent and make things right, others will be less inclined to use the magnifying glass and be more tolerant of our mistakes.  Certainly we can all use less magnification of our mistakes!