Reflections

Studying the family this semester has been one of the most fulfilling and impactful things that I've engaged in. 

Of all of the things that I learned in my studies, I think that my biggest take away is that we should live our lives intentionally. It is so easy to slip into habit and natural tendencies, but we don't have to! We always retain the power to make our own decisions in our lives. If we let it, life can be like a stream that carries us down-water. It is entirely possible to "take things as they come" and allow ourselves to be at the mercy of the events that happen to us. 

We can do so much better, though. We have the power to break out of this flow! When we make informed decisions, even small things can have an enormous impact on our lives. Our attitudes have the ability to change the entire direction of our lives. I think that acknowledging our own power in our ability to exercise control over our lives is a very beautiful thing. 

If we set a goal for ourselves, then we can begin to make small but intentional decisions to affect where we end up. If I think, "Well, I don't really care where I end up", then I could end up anywhere. It doesn't have to be this way, though. Look at where you want to be, and then start to take steps to get there; you can do it. 

I realize that I'm not really encouraged to talk about the Family Relations class itself here, but I'd like to write a little bit as a personal testimony to myself to look back on. 

When I first started this class, I didn't really know what to expect. I had taken an Eternal Families class last semester, and I liked it a lot, so I figured that I would be able to get something out of this class even if I didn't know what it would be. On the first day, I showed up without any papers or materials. After that first day, I scrambled to get a notebook and a nice pen, because I KNEW that I needed to take notes. I didn't want to take notes for the sake of memorizing things for a test, or because I was told that I had to. No, I wanted to take notes because I was hearing things that were stoking parts of my brain and heart that I hadn't realized where there. I needed these notes for myself, and now as I look back through the pages that I wrote, I marvel at all of the amazing things we learned in class.

Of course, a class is only as good as the person who teaches it. Brother Williams, thank you so much for presenting this material to us. You are a teacher in the truest sense of the word, and I feel like I have learned so much from your words. Not only do I feel prepared for my future, but I have also made real changes in my life this semester that have impacted me in such positive ways, and it is all because of you. I don't know if you need me to say this, but if nothing else, you have made an extremely positive impact on my life, and that is something that I can't even begin to express my gratitude for.

I would like to encourage everyone to decide what kind of family they want to be a part of, and then to start making choices today that will lead to that outcome.