Women have such strength and power in the home. Whether married or widowed, single or divorced, we women have been given the sacred task to love and lead those within our sphere of influence. The blessings of our efforts will be great and eternal.
Sister Barbara Thompson, who later served in the Relief Society general presidency, was in the Tabernacle when President Hinckley read the proclamation to the world on the family:
“I felt the significance of the message. I also found myself thinking, ‘This is a great guide for parents. It is also a big responsibility for parents.’ I thought for a moment that it really didn’t pertain too much to me since I wasn’t married and didn’t have any children. But almost as quickly I thought, ‘But it does pertain to me. I am a member of a family. I am a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a cousin, a niece, and a granddaughter. I do have responsibilities—and blessings—because I am a member of a family. Even if I were the only living member of my family, I am still a member of God’s family, and I have a responsibility to help strengthen other families.’” ( Daughters in My Kingdom, pg. 148)
No matter our marital status or family composition, ALL women can strengthen families as they strive to make their own homes feel like a piece of heaven on earth. President Kimball was once asked if he had ever been to heaven. In response he told about sealing a young couple in the temple, of being in the home of a stake president with a large family where all worked together and heartfelt prayers were offered. He also told about a couple who had never been able to have children but who had filled their home with 18 orphans. Through these experiences and more, he had had what he called “many glimpses of heaven.” (Daughters in My Kingdom, pg. 162)
Throughout the world, Relief Society sisters and their families have drawn near to heaven by the way they have lived. In their own unique ways, they have each captured a glimpse of heaven in their homes:
- “A sister in the United States took care of her dying mother for 3 years. Less than a year later, her daughter developed a rare physical disorder. This dedicated mother took care of her daughter every day for 10 years until the young woman passed away at the age of 17.”
- “A sister in India helped establish a branch in her city. Her husband was the branch president, and she was the Relief Society president for a group of about 20 members. They reared three faithful daughters, with the principles of the gospel safeguarding them in their holy home.”
- “A sister in Ghana maintained her family’s farm. Outside the rail fence, she cultivated yarrow plants. Inside the fence, she kept goats in pens. She also kept palm nuts that she boiled to make palm oil to sell in the local markets. Everything in her tidy enclosure demonstrated her love for her family. She raked, cleaned, and swept her yard. Under a mango tree, the family had a homemade bench where they sat for family home evening and other family gatherings.”
- “A single sister with physical disabilities lived on the 80th floor of a high-rise in Hong Kong. She lived alone and was the only member of the Church in her family, but she created a home that was a haven where she and visitors could feel the influence of the Spirit. On a little shelf, she kept her scriptures, her Relief Society manuals, and her hymnbook. She sought out her ancestors and traveled to the temple to perform ordinances for them.”
- “A faithful family in Mexico lived in a busy, noisy city in a home behind a large wall and a metal gate. On the inside of the wall, the mother painted a beautiful garden, with trees, flowers, and a fountain. Inside the home, the family kept books on shelves and maintained places to gather, study, and play together.”
- “A mother in Brazil lived in a home that was made of red brick in a yard of red soil surrounded by a wall of red brick. The music of Primary songs filled the air, and pictures cut out from the Liahona of temples, prophets of God, and the Savior covered the walls. She and her husband sacrificed to be sealed in the temple so their children could be born in the covenant. Her constant prayer was that the Lord would help her and give her strength and inspiration sufficient to bring up her children in the light, truth, and strength of the gospel so that they would be able to make and keep the covenants she and her husband had sacrificed to provide for them.” (Daughters in My Kingdom, pgs 162-165)
This song ended up being MUCH different than I initially anticipated. I started out with the idea of making it very hymn-like in nature. I tried and tried to get that idea to play out (pun intended), but it just didn’t feel right. It wasn’t until my deadline for finishing all of the songs was close at hand that the idea to make it into a parent/child part-song came to me. And when that idea DID come to my mind it was like a sudden splash of inspiration, and I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it months prior! This was definitely what it was supposed to be all along.
The children singing in the recording of this song on my album are my two oldest kiddos. They were 9 and 7 years old at the time. I don’t think that I realized it then, but I’ve since come to see how much this experience and many others with music have strengthened their sweet souls. This is one way in which I’m striving to build a Christ-centered, faith-filled home; with uplifting music and plenty of opportunities for all of us to experience it.
Each of us has unique gifts and talents. What are yours? And how are you using them to make your home a little piece of “heaven every day”?