Familial Research and Development

I want to share some baptism experiences I’ve had. I was six months old when I was first baptized. My parents were Episcopalians. It is a common practice to baptize infants and babies. I’m not sure I felt much except wet with the sprinkle baptism. I may have felt some depth of appreciation that my parents were at least trying and reaching for Christianity. Notice I said I was baptized-I did not say I received baptism. Although I was not baptized in the Bible Church, I did attend Vacation Bible School at least two summers that I remember, and I went to Church on Sunday’s, though I don’t remember who gave me rides there. Maybe my parents went a few times. Some of my childhood summer highlights were when the Jehovah’s Witnesses would come and teach my mother and I their Gospel truths. I read the Watch Tower; Awake!; From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained; and The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. These were things hard to grasp at my very young age (8-11 years), but they wer...

Walking back to the car after an endowment session at the temple, these two sisters were talking, laughing and giggling. The older of the two who not more than 20 years ago was trying to express her frustration about a six-year younger sister who was just so difficult to share a room with. Mommy's 'listening ear' and heart, and eyes toward the future gave the 'When Life Hands You a Lemon' lecture. Sure enough. Big sister wanted their relationship to be positive and she decided to both 1) stop looking at what was wrong and 2) find SOMETHING to 'sweeten' the situation. They took turns reading a book out loud at night as they were falling asleep. Their relationship improved. Wasn't perfect, but there was positive improvement. Now, 20 years later, they're friends.