This last week we had our annual Back to School Feast. This tradition is so sweet to me. We are entering our eighth year of homeschooling and enjoyed our ninth back to school feast. I am so very grateful for this time I get to spend with my children. Some days it is hard. But I know it is a time I will always be grateful for. I am trying to live in those moments now and enjoy them as I know I will when I look back on them later.
As always, we ate a special dinner and spoke about the things we were looking forward to with our upcoming year. I feel so hopeful about this year.
We had such a beautiful year learning and focusing on charity and Camp de Vida was the perfect finish to our family theme last year.
I love how the theme comes together every year. In a way, I felt a little resistant to it this year though. I don’t know why, but for some reason I got it in my head that we needed to focus on the temple. I feel like so much of what we are being taught is so temple-focused and so I felt like we should have our theme centered around that. But it just wasn’t feeling right for our family. And that is one of the many reasons why marriage is so wonderful. Mark wasn’t feeling good about that direction either and our conversation turned and we landed here. This scripture had been coming to my mind for several weeks but I dismissed it. But it’s just what we need.
Our theme for 2024-2025 is Proverbs 3:5-6:
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
We spoke about what trust is – having confidence. We spoke about crazy trust falls. We spoke about having the trust of others – including the Lord. We spoke about how when we are “thinking celestial” we are trusting in the Lord.
It was a special and beautiful night, ending with blessings for all. I didn’t realize how much I needed that blessing until it came. I am so grateful for Mark and the priesthood and the love of our Heavenly Father and Savior for my family.
It’s going to be an amazing year listening to our family say these words every day. So that they will be imprinted on all of our hearts and minds – hopefully guiding us as we walk through our mortal journeys.
Past Back to School Feasts
I love love love looking back on these. Life is amazingly good.
2023: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seekth 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.”
2022: “Trust 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.”
2018: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
2017: “Kindness is the essence of greatness.”
2016: “May we ever choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.”
