A Challenge for My Children

Another Installment in Family Home Evening Ideas
or Memorable Monday Moments

It's been a while since I've written a family night post, and technically this thought came AFTER family night, but it wouldn't have happened unless we had the family night lesson we did last night. Are you thoroughly confused yet?

Anyway, for our lesson last night we read the article about Lorenzo Snow in the January Ensign.  As we read the next-to-last paragraph, I thought there was some good advice there to share with seminary students (about the personal effort involved in learning), and I left the magazine open on the counter so I wouldn't forget to add it to some lesson.

When I re-read that paragraph this afternoon, it was another sentence that caught my attention:

“Each last day or each last week should be the best that we have ever experienced, that is, we should advance ourselves a little every day, in knowledge and wisdom, and in the ability to accomplish good.”

And since there wasn't much else to do except think while pulling weeds this afternoon, that's what I did.  Is this week the "best ever" of my life?  If not, what do I need to do to make it that way?

Remember how at the end of 2011 we shared our most memorable day of the year with each other? Mine was Father's Day, which included Jeff giving his mission report in Sacrament Meeting and Steven being ordained an elder.  How could each of my "yesterdays" compete with a day like that to earn "best day ever" status?  And I realized that really they could.

President Snow suggested daily efforts to advance in knowledge and wisdom and the ability to do good.  Memories are wonderful, and just thinking about the so-called "Best Day Evers" of my life brings back the same good feelings that made them wonderful days.  I can use those recollections as springboards to planning future events which will then earn that status.  More importantly, I can daily strive to feel the Spirit and serve others.  Then even "ordinary" days can be wonderful.

So my challenge to you is to make each day the best day.  I know you can do it!

Extra challenge: come up with how the following pictures could relate to the post.
grass full of weeds
weed-free grass
bucket of weeds ready to be discarded

Comments

MichelleW said…
This morning I told Lexi to have the best day ever. Interesting.

You can discard the bad thoughts (or weeds) from your mind to make your day better.
Meg said…
When I was in high school my favorite quote was "If what you did yesterday seems big, you haven't done anything today" by Lou Holtz. When I read that article this month, I thought, "Lou Holtz copied President Snow!" :)

The weeds thing has been really interesting for me to think about. I feel like right now in order for days to be the best around here I have to do the "best" things- not "good" or "better" stuff, only the absolute "best". So my challenge is following the spirit to know which things are just "good" or "better" and weeding those things out. It's definitely a learning process, but I do think that over-all our "best" days are more frequent than our "good" days, so hopefully I'll get it down soon!