Family

I chose this quote because I have the same prayer for my children. 
"Now in the sunset of our lives, Sister Packer and I understand and have the witness that families can be forever. As we obey the commandments and live the gospel fully, we will be protected and blessed. With our children and grandchildren and now great-grandchildren, our prayer is that each one of our growing family will have that same devotion toward those precious little ones."
—President Boyd K. Packer, "And a Little Child Shall Lead Them", General Conference, Apr. 2012.



I liked this quote because is is a message of hope. Even though families are dwindling, we can change it. 
"So the bad news is that family breakdown is causing a host of societal and economic ills. But the good news is that, like any cause and effect, those ills can be reversed if what is causing them is changed. Inequities are resolved by living correct principles and values. Brothers and sisters, the most important cause of our lifetime is our families. If we will devote ourselves to this cause, we will improve every other aspect of our lives and will become, as a people and as a church, an example and a beacon for all the peoples of the earth"
—Elder M. Russell Ballard, "That the Lost May Be Found", General Conference, Apr. 2012.



This is a great message to share with those who are struggling to understand the importance of families. 
"Societies at large are strengthened as families grow stronger. Commitments to families and values are the basic cause. Nearly everything else is effect. When couples marry and make commitments to each other, they greatly increase their chances of economic well-being. When children are born in wedlock and have both a mom and a dad, their opportunities and their likelihood of occupational success skyrocket. And when families work and play together, neighborhoods and communities flourish, economies improve, and less government and fewer costly 'safety nets' are required."
—Elder M. Russell Ballard, "That the Lost May Be Found", General Conference, Apr. 2012.



I want my boys to understand and gain a testimony of this principle. 
"Melchizedek Priesthood holders who are fathers in sealed families have been taught what they must do. There is nothing that has come or will come into your family as important as the sealing blessings. There is nothing more important than honoring the marriage and family covenants you have made or will make in the temples of God."
—President Henry B. Eyring, "Families under Covenant", General Conference, Apr. 2012.

I have a firm testimony of this. Family is everything. 
“When we have sampled much and have wandered far and have seen how fleeting and sometimes superficial a lot of the world is, our gratitude grows for the privilege of being part of something we can count on—home and family and the loyalty of loved ones. We come to know what it means to be bound together by duty, by respect, by belonging. We learn that nothing can fully take the place of the blessed relationship of family life.”

 - President Thomas S. Monson, "Love at Home—Counsel from Our Prophet," Aug. 2011, Liahona



I liked this message because it reminds me of the stewardship I have as a wife and mother. 
"In the Church, stewardship is not limited to a temporal trust or responsibility. President Spencer W. Kimball taught: 'We are stewards over our bodies, minds, families, and properties. . . . A faithful steward is one who exercises righteous dominion, cares for his own, and looks to the poor and needy' ("Welfare Services: The Gospel in Action," Ensign, Nov. 1977, 78)."
- Elder Quentin L. Cook, "Stewardship—a Sacred Trust," Ensign, Nov. 2009, 91



Although parenting it is sometimes daunting, I know it is the most important work I will ever do. 
"Our most important and powerful assignments are in the family. They are important because the family has the opportunity at the start of a child’s life to put feet firmly on the path home.”
- President Henry B. Eyring, "Help Them on Their Way Home," General Conference, Apr. 2010.

I particularly took notice to this quote because I like that Elder Nelson specifies that "'individual' progression is fostered in the family." Although we all learn in the family, we have our individual paths. 

"Individual progression is fostered in the family, which is “central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.” The home is to be God’s laboratory of love and service. There a husband is to love his wife, a wife is to love her husband, and parents and children are to love one another."
- Elder Russell M. Nelson, "Salvation and Exaltation," General Conference, Apr. 2008.

This the absolute truth and I am grateful He loves us enough to allow us to experience it. 

"The greatest joys and the greatest sorrows we experience are in family relationships. The joys come from putting the welfare of others above our own. That is what love is. And the sorrow comes primarily from selfishness, which is the absence of love. The ideal God holds for us is to form families in the way most likely to lead to happiness and away from sorrow.”
- President Henry B. Eyring, "Our Perfect Example," General Conference, Oct. 2009.

This is something I personally struggle with. It is hard trying to balance everything sometimes, but I know that my greatest blessings will come from my sacrifices for my family. 
"We build deep and loving family relationships by doing simple things together, like family dinner and family home evening and by just having fun together. In family relationships love is really spelled t-i-m-e, time. Taking time for each other is the key for harmony at home. We talk with, rather than about, each other. We learn from each other, and we appreciate our differences as well as our commonalities. We establish a divine bond with each other as we approach God together through family prayer, gospel study, and Sunday worship.”
-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Of Things That Matter Most," General Conference, Oct. 2010.