On Monday we celebrated our TENTH Back to School Feast. I am so grateful for this sweet tradition. As I got thinking about our family and the decision we made nine years ago to start homeschooling, I got to thinking about what my “why” is. And there are a lot of reasons and those reasons have changed over the years or rearranged themselves in importance. But the top reason is time. I am so grateful for the time I get to have with my children. It is precious to me and I will forever be grateful for that.
As is tradition, we started our Back to School Feast with a special dinner. We talked about the things we were excited about with this upcoming year. And then after dinner we sat down and Mark and I shared what our family theme will be for this upcoming year:
“And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophesies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”
2 Nephi 25:26
It is going to be the year of Jesus. As Mark and I talked about what we wanted our focus on this year, it is starting to feel a little overwhelming. The older our kiddos get the more important these themes feel. We want these to be words that sustain them. That come to their mind as they are older when they need them. And we thought of President Russell M. Nelson’s message that he gave in General Conference in October of 2024. He said:
“My dear brothers and sisters, in a coming day, Jesus Christ will return to the earth as the millennial Messiah. So today I call upon you to rededicate your lives to Jesus Christ. I call upon you to help gather scattered Israel and to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord. I call upon you to talk of Christ, testify of Christ, have faith in Christ, and rejoice in Christ!
Come unto Christ, and “offer your whole [soul]” to Him. This is the secret to a life of joy!“
So this is our focus this year. To rededicate our lives to Jesus Christ. To offer everything to Him. Because I trust in what President Nelson says, what prophets throughout time have said, and what my own experience has shown me – that it is the way to true joy and peace.
We ended the evening with blessings from Mark. And it was really what my heart needed. I can’t wait for this year.
Past Back to School Feasts
I am so grateful for the many years of family themes:
2024: “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.”
2023: “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.”
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 hour 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 thing, 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.”
