Back to School Feast

Our annual Back to School Feast was beautiful. I love this tradition so much and I can’t imagine beginning our school year without it. This is our 7th year homeschooling! I am so grateful that we get to have this special time together – time I know I will cherish always.

Mark kept the kiddos upstairs playing while I prepared the table and dinner. I really wanted to make the night extra special and I enjoyed doing that for the kids. We sat down and had a lovely dinner and talked about what things we were excited about for the upcoming year. And we talked about how absolutely crazy it is that Jacob is in “middle school”. Life moves so quickly.

After we cleaned up dinner, we gathered in the living room and we said our family’s theme for the last time. It is always a little bitter sweet but oh how I have loved this last year and our focus on discipleship.

Our new theme came very naturally for Mark and I. We have known for months the direction we wanted to go and it felt so right. This year we are focusing on charity.

We talked about what charity is. We talked about treating others in “a higher and holier way.” We spoke about how charity is a spiritual gift. I love this quote from President Dallin H. Oaks:

“The reason charity never fails and the reason charity is greater than even the most significant act of goodness…is that charity, “the pure love of Christ”, is not an act but a condition or state of being. Charity is attained through a succession of acts that result in a conversion. Charity is something one becomes.”

Isn’t that beautiful? The whole talk is wonderful, it is called The Challenge to Become and I highly recommend it.

But we took most of our thoughts from President Russell M. Nelson’s most recent conference talk, entitled Peacemakers Needed. Here were some of our highlight quotes that we shared with the kids:

“True disciples build, lift, encourage, persuade, and inspire – no matter how difficult the situation. True disciples of Jesus Christ are peacemakers.”

This one in particular flowed so perfectly after our last year’s theme – which was a quote from President Nelson about “true disciples”.

“Peacemaking is a choice.”

“Charity is the principle characteristic of a true follower of Jesus Christ. Charity defines a peacemaker.”

And then we ended with this beautiful prophetic blessing:

“The best is yet to come for those who spend their lives building up others. Today I invite you to examine your discipleship within the context of the way you treat others. I bless you to make any adjustments that may be needed so that your behavior is ennobling, respectful, and representative of a true follower of Jesus Christ.”

Our theme this year is Moroni 7:45 –

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”

I can’t wait to hear my sweet family say these words every day for the next year. I hope we, as a family, can become more charitable. That we love better. That we strive to see others the way our Savior does. This year we are striving to become more like Him.

Past Back to School Feasts

2022: “True disciples of Jesus Christ are willing to stand out, speak up, and be different from the people of the world. They are undaunted, devoted, and courageous.”

2021: “Organize yourselves, prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.”

2020: “Be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you and will stand by you.”

2019: “Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.”