Of Heaven and Home – January 10, 1999
Families have become increasingly far-flung in recent years. Once, children typically grew up in one home and then, upon reaching adulthood, moved not too far down the lane. Today’s families often end up scattered across counties, countries, and continents.
The world likely will never return to what it once was. Even though the logistics of family interactions certainly have changed, the roots of our family trees still need to be nourished so parents and children alike can satisfy their longings for love, stability, acceptance, and support.
The English writer William Wordsworth knew of the need for a home to which one can always return. He spoke of the skylark that can fly far and wide across the skies but keeps close to a “nest which thou canst drop into at will.” Then the poet turned his thoughts toward “. . . the wise who soar, but never roam;/ True to the kindred points of Heaven and Home!”1 By connecting heaven and home, Wordsworth suggests an all-important alliance that should permeate family activities in our homes.
A wise father said, “Our homes should be a refuge from the cares of the world, where there is peace and harmony, . . . where we enjoy love and companionship as husband and wife, where children are taught the values of life by the examples of parents.”2
Within such an environment, we might encourage eating our meals together as a family, studying important principles together, discussing issues that concern both parents and children, working collectively to improve our houses and yards, serving those who have unmet needs, and perhaps even praying together frequently as a family.
It may seem expedient to focus on the immediate needs and demands of family life, but with just a little effort we can elevate the activities we engage in with our families. In so doing, we will find ourselves establishing not only patterns for lives imbued with timeless values but also habitats of warmth and love—homes to which children will naturally and frequently return.
Program #3621
1“To A Sky-Lark,” English Romantic Poetry and Prose, Russell Noyes, ed. (1972), 354.
2Howard W. Hunter, The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter (1997), 156.