I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to share my thoughts and feelings about this important modern day revelation, The Family: A Proclamation to the World. Families are a wonderful gift from our Heavenly Father and an important detail of the Plan of Happiness. This Proclamation confirms to the world the vital role that we as parents play as we raise our children.
I am married to my best friend and mother to four wonderful children. These are the most important jobs I will ever have and nothing will bring me more joy or fulfill me as much as these roles will. My favorite part of the Proclamation is this:
“By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.”
There are so many things that we can do to make our homes sanctuaries for our children. A place where they feel safe, and loved, and comforted. We have family prayer and scripture study, we hold family home evenings and family councils. We communicate and listen. One thing that I believe can make a really big difference is music. In our home, we listen to a lot of music. I am a music fanatic. I play the piano and organ and have an extensive digital music collection. Music is almost always playing. Folk, classical, jazz, pop, gospel. We like it all, as long as it is clean. Music has the ability to create feelings and moods. Whenever I am feeling stressed, or frazzled [which as a mother can happen often,] I have a few albums that lift me up. They are my go-to albums. In my opinion, they are must haves. As my contribution to this month’s focus on the family, I would love to share three of them with you.
1. Love is Spoken Here – Mormon Tabernacle Choir. This is an album that I constantly turn to. It fills our home with the Spirit and fills my heart with peace and love. I recommend it to everyone, no matter your religion or background. It is sacred music.
2. Nearer: A New Collection of Favorite Hymns – Various Artists. I love this album so much because it has turned some of the most beautiful hymns into more current sounding renditions. They have a very indie folk feeling and it’s music I can listen to on any day of the week. It uplifts me, and makes me happy.
3. Reflections of Christ – Various Artists. A couple of years ago, our family had the opportunity to visit the Mesa Arizona Temple Visitors Center and walk through the Reflections of Christ Exhibit. It was breathtakingly beautiful and the music that accompanied those pictures is on this album. I love Freddie Ashby’s amazing “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and Alex Boye’s “Be Still, My Soul.” Both are such powerfully moving pieces.
As a mother, I love to introduce my children to new music and open their ears to different styles and genres. The most important music I can share with my children, is music that helps them feel close to their Heavenly Father and Savior. I know that The Family: A Proclamation to the World is inspired and from our loving Heavenly Father to give us guidance in these troubling times. I am so thankful for it.
Marilyn is passionate about family, faith, music, and beautiful things. Her family has a blueberry farm, her kids raise 4H Pigs, and she creates wonderful music mixes for each month of the year. She blogs at Passionista.
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I figure if music is important enough to be mentioned in the first book in the bible it is a must in our lives.
Luckily Ilove music just as much as you. Loved the post!
I am totally with you! Sometimes, turning on some music is the Only thing that can get me through a particularly stressful time (like every night when I’m making dinner for HUNGRY wild children!!! 🙂 I’m totally going to check these out! Thanks so much, Marilyn!
Ah, yes music is amazing. It can lift the soul like nothing else and touch the spirit. Thank you for sharing.
Amen! Music has been the catalyst for most of my “a-ha!” spiritual moments. I. Love. Good. Music. I feel like I’d be a shell without it.
And I second the Love is Spoken Here album. I can hardly get enough of the MoTabs. They always lift the mood at stressful times:)
Come thou fount of every blessing makes me cry everytime I listen to it. I truly do love the music that beings the spirit into our lives.
I too love that tab choir CD. It brings peace into our home and helps us not feel stressed!
Oh and how fun I won something!! Thanks!!
We have that Love at Home CD by the Tabernacle Choir and play it almost every Sunday. My kids love to hear the primary songs that they recognize and all of them sing of home and family.
I will have to look at those other two recommended. New music in the house is always fun.
Music is such an amazing thing, that can be used for good and bad. I remember music being used to help us clean the house as kids. It put us in a good mood and made us more willing to help out.
I’m grateful for music that can invite the spirit in and help lift and calm our souls.
We have some favorite music that we listen to on Sundays and other days just to get the Spirit, but we need to get more music. Thanks for introducing those CDs. You are a BEAUTIFUL family!
Music has always spoken to me. I often hear more during the verses of our hymns than I do in the homily (don’t tell my favorite priest!). When the music is chosen to closely mimic the readings of the day, it’s as if I have spent the morning bathed in glory. I love to carry that feeling to our home. Thanks for the great recommendations. I can’t wait to listen to that Nearer CD.
Thanks for the recommendations. You’ve made me remember I really need to get a new dock for my iPod because I really miss using music this way, especially on Sundays.
Thanks for sharing. I was thinking lately that about what a difference good music makes in my home. I’ll have to check out these cds.