The Importance of a Family

So a couple weeks ago, I experienced my most embarrassing moment (no, I'm not going to post it :)). It was pretty bad, but through it I was able to see how important my family was in this way: When I told my mom she was embarrassed with me; when I told my brother he laughed at me; and when I told my dad he shrugged it off because he said it was no big deal. 

While it may seem like my mom's response was the one that normal people hope for, when my brother laughed at me it made me able to laugh at myself. And when my dad shrugged it off it showed me that just because I was embarrassed doesn't mean that the people who witnessed me were embarrassed. But I did need my mom's empathy, because that helped me feel like I wasn't a fool to feel embarrassed. 

I don't think there is any way that just one person could have done all of that for me within the 15 minutes that it did with the three of them. Also, there is no way I would have told any one besides my family about what happened (not even my best friends). I may have been up all night with embarrassment without my family.

And that's just a small experience. What about when tragedy strikes? When a loved one dies, or when your future seems to fall apart? Who should you be able to fall back on? Your family.

So please appreciate your family today. Pres. Thomas S Monson shared an thought he had while in a cemetery: 

 ... I noticed ...a small stone in which was inscribed a name and this poignant verse: “A light from our household is gone; a voice we loved is stilled. A place is vacant in our hearts that never can be filled.”
Don’t wait until that light from your household is gone; don’t wait until that voice you know is stilled before you say, “I love you, Mother; I love you, Father.” Now is the time to think and the time to thank. I trust you will do both. You have a heritage; honor it.