Family Home Evening, Monday, April 21, 2008

Grampa Valentine adores his youngest grand child, Margaret Valentine Clark.
Grandmother Shauna loves to sing with her grand children, accompanied by Christopher Layton Clark, a superb pianist.
Shauna and the grand children play with the tone bells given to Shauna by her best friend Sheila, the queen of Yuba City.

Dear Family, wherever you are:

I had a terrific birthday. Thanks so much for the special treatment, the dinner, the gifts, the kind words. I LOVE MY FAMILY--you are terrific, you are a dear, dear blessing to me. Thanks for being so kind and taking care of each other.

Happy Birthday to Zane last Saturday, and we're going to celebrate Miles and Grandma Amy's on Saturday. And then the monster month of May when a great number of our family was born.

We really enjoyed Zane and Gigi in Broadway Kids tonight, and wish Miles the best with his Shakespeare play this week. What talent we have in this family.

Love, Mom and Dad xoxoxoxoxo


Happy Family Home Evening, and the thought . . .

"During a perilous period of war, an exchange of letters occurred between Moroni, the captain of the Nephite armies, and Pahoran, the chief judge and governor of the land. Moroni, whose army was suffering because of
inadequate support from the government, wrote to Pahoran 'by the way of condemnation' (Alma 60:2) and harshly accused him of thoughtlessness, slothfulness, and neglect. Pahoran might easily have resented Moroni and his message, but he chose not to take offense. Pahoran responded compassionately and described a rebellion against the government about which Moroni was not aware. And then he responded, 'Behold, I say unto you, Moroni, that I do not joy in your great afflictions, yea, it grieves my soul. . . . And now, in your epistle you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of yourheart' (Alma 61:2, 9).

"One of the greatest indicators of our own spiritual maturity is revealed in how we respond to the weaknesses, the inexperience, and the potentially offensive actions of others. A thing, an event, or an expression may be offensive, but you and I can choose not to be offended--and to say with Pahoran, 'it mattereth not.'"


(David A. Bednar, "And Nothing Shall Offend Them," Ensign, Nov. 2006, 91)