For tonight's Family Home Evening the topic in which I have chosen is:
Free Printable:
Further preparation: Print the above printable. Read the General Conference Talk: An Attitude of Gratitude
Have a member of the family member say the prayer
Sing: "Count Your Blessings", Hymnal 241Discuss any family business
Follow-up with last weeks FHE.
Scripture: Read: Alma 34:38
Family Home Evening Instruction:
Begin Family Home Evening by reading the following quote by President Thomas S. Monson:
"This is a wonderful time to be living here on earth. Our opportunities are limitless. While there are some things wrong in the world today, there are many things right, such as teachers who teach, ministers who minister, marriages that make it, parents who sacrifice, and friends who help." (AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE By President Thomas S. Monson, May 2000 Ensign)
Show your family six links (see printable above). Explain that you are going to discuss 6 things that President Monson says we can be grateful for in our lives. Label the first link, "Mothers". Read the following quote,
"Mother, who willingly made that personal journey into the valley of the shadow of death to give us mortal life, deserves our undying gratitude. One writer summed up our love for mother when he declared,
“God could not be everywhere, and so He gave us mothers.”
While on the cruel cross of Calvary, suffering intense pain and anguish, Jesus “saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother!” 4 What a divine example of gratitude and love!
My own mother may not have read to me from the scriptures; rather, she taught me by her life and actions what the “Good Book” contains. Care for the poor, the sick, the needy were everyday dramas never to be forgotten."
Wrap the ends to form a link and staple the ends together. Invite family members to think about how they can be thankful for their own mothers.
On the next link write the word "Fathers". Read this quote from President Monson's talk:
"Father, like Mother, is ever willing to sacrifice his own comfort for that of his children. Daily he toils to provide the necessities of life, never complaining, ever concerned for the well-being of his family. This love for children, this desire to see them well and happy, is a constant in a time of change.
On occasion I have observed parents shopping to clothe a son about to enter missionary service. The new suits are fitted, the new shoes are laced, and shirts, socks, and ties are bought in quantity. I met one father who said to me, “Brother Monson, I want you to meet my son.” Pride popped his buttons; the cost of the clothing emptied his wallet; love filled his heart. Tears filled my eyes when I noticed that his suit was old, his shoes well worn; but he felt no deprivation. The glow on his face was a memory to cherish.
As I reflect on my own father, I remember he yielded his minuscule discretionary time to caring for a crippled uncle, aged aunts, and his family. He served in the ward Sunday School presidency, always preferring to work with the children. He, like the Master, loved children. I never heard from his lips one word of criticism of another. He personified in his life the work ethic. I join you in an expression of gratitude for our fathers."
Wrap the ends through the first link to form a second link and staple the ends together. Invite each family member to reflect on their gratitude for their father.
On the third link write "Teachers". Then read the following quote,
"The teacher not only shapes the expectations and ambitions of pupils; the teacher also influences their attitudes toward their future and themselves. If the teacher loves the students and has high expectations of them, their self-confidence will grow, their capabilities will develop, and their future will be assured. A citation to such a teacher could well read: “She created in her room an atmosphere where warmth and acceptance weave their magic spell; where growth and learning, the soaring of the imagination, and the spirit of the young are assured.”
Wrap the ends through the second link to form a third link and staple the end together. Invite each family member to think about their gratitude for their teachers.
On the fourth link write, "Friends". Then read what President Monson says,
"Our most cherished friend is our partner in marriage. This old world would be so much better off today if kindness and deference were daily a reflection of our gratitude for wife, for husband.
Wrap the ends through the fifth link to form a sixth link and staple the end together. Invite each family member to think about their gratitude for their Savior, Jesus Christ.
The Lord spoke the word friend almost with a reverence. He said, “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” (John 15:14)
True friends put up with our idiosyncrasies. They have a profound influence in our lives."
Wrap the ends through the third link to form a forth link and staple the end together. Invite each family member to think about their gratitude for their teachers.
On the fifth link write, "Country". Then read the following quote from President Monson,
"When we ponder that vast throng who have died honorably defending home and hearth, we contemplate those immortal words, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” 7 The feelings of heartfelt gratitude for the supreme sacrifice made by so many cannot be confined to a Memorial Day, a military parade, or a decorated grave."
Wrap the ends through the forth link to form a fifth link and staple the end together. Invite each family member to think about their gratitude for their Country.
On the fifth link write, "Jesus Christ". Then read the following quote from President Monson,
"He taught us how to pray. He taught us how to serve. He taught us how to live. His life is a legacy of love. The sick He healed; the downtrodden He lifted; the sinner He saved.
Only He stood alone. Some Apostles doubted; one betrayed Him. The Roman soldiers pierced His side. The angry mob took His life. There yet rings from Golgotha’s hill His compassionate words, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
Give each family member one or more links and invite them to think about something else they are grateful for, then have them write those thinks on their links and connect it to the chain. Reiterate that their are so many things that we can be grateful for in this life. The key is to recognize those things and have a gratitude attitude. When we do this our lives will be much happier.
Invite family members to share their testimonies on having a gratitude attitude.
Close with a Family Prayer.
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