A Late Father's Day Post

       As I thought back on this last Father's Day and everything my own dad has done for me I realized how much I have to be grateful for. A recent talk in General Conference by Richard J. Maynes explains the importance of establishing righteous traditions in our homes. The summary of his talk is:

       "We understand and believe in the eternal nature of the family. This understanding and belief should inspire us to do everything in our power to establish a Christ-centered home." 1

       His talk, entitled: Establishing a Christ-Centered Home, brought me to ponder what my parents have done for me. One thing that I greatly treasure is the time my dad and I got to spend playing basketball. We would wake up at 5:30 am every Tuesday and Thursday to play basketball at the church building. We didn't always say a whole lot to one another, on account of it being so early, but I will forever enjoy the memories and the time we spent together.

       We can show our families how much we love and care about them by what we do, by establishing those relationships on the gospel of Jesus Christ. President Uchtdorf put it this way, "In family relationships love is really spelled t-i-m-e, time." 2

1.     Establishing a  Christ-Centered Home by Richard J. Maynes
2.     Of Things that Matter Most by Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Lost and Found

       So once upon a time when I was just a little boy I rode my bicycle down to the church to go to a Primary activity. I can't even remember what it was. Well, after the activity I ended up forgetting about my bike and walking home with my friends. As you can guess, a few days later I realized it was missing. What a tragedy!! I looked every place I could think of, including back at the church where I left it. No dice. It was no where to be found. We kept searching though. One day, my dad and I were driving in his car through the neighborhoods seeing if we could locate it. We said a prayer that we might be able to somehow find this bike. As we were driving I saw, in someones garage, a bike that looked similar to mine. We checked to see if it was. I could tell it was mine because I had mismatched gear-shifters. What a relief! We knocked on the door of the house to talk to them and get my bike back. We knocked and knocked but nobody answered. My dad told me to just ride it home. I was so afraid that they were going to come home right when I was riding the bike out of their driveway, but they didn't and I made it home safely.

       Some people may say that it was just a coincidence that I found my bike after saying a prayer but I believe our Heavenly Father had a lot to do with finding my bike that day. I am grateful for the power that prayer can be in our lives.