For what it's worth

I captured this picture with my cell phone the other day, because I was so shocked at what it said. I was all prepared to drive by and honk and wave, offering my congratulations, but then I read the second word. Divorce was being celebrated!


When I think of relationships worth celebrating, it's in their creation, not destruction. Love grows, matures, suffers setbacks and then emerges stronger than before. We learn to love in stages.

First, we love our parents. They take care of our every need and teach us what it means to love one another. My parents always showed love for each other, and for me as their child. This seemed to me to be an easy kind of love that came naturally.

Second, we fall in love with a member of the opposite sex. We see qualities and characteristics in each other that are attractive and desirable to spend an eternity with. We bring out the best in each other, and are anxiously engaged to be married. This kind of love also comes easily, because it was meant to be. It was part of our Father in Heaven's plan to send us to earth to create our own families, to join as husbands and wives and bring children into this world.






That brings me to number three: children. You don't get to choose their personalities when they come to you, but at least you get to start from scratch and mold them in a general direction. We love our children unconditionally, but sometimes we don't like them very much. We do our best to teach them to be responsible adults, contributing members of the church with their own testimonies, and we ALWAYS love them. This kind of love is difficult and requires continued maintenance. To bring children to a family and raise them up in righteousness is also a part of Heavenly Father's plan. "Husband and Wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and their children." I am grateful for the opportunity that Austin and I have had to love and rear three children, currently in progress. :)


The obviously triumphant statement on that van made me sad, to see celebration in the destruction of a family here on earth. Relationships are to be cherished, marriages are sacred, children are precious gifts entrusted to us to raise them as our Father in Heaven would. I am so grateful for my own family, my husband who lives to serve and my children who try their best and repent when things go awry. I am grateful for the family I was raised in, learning at my mothers knee that parents really do love and care for each other, not just in fairy tales. I am grateful for my in-laws and the incredible man they raised whom I was privileged to grow up and marry. I am grateful that the statement on that van will NEVER be printed on MY van.

I think I'll get some paint and go write on our windows right now... "Still Married and loving it."