Love is Eternal

President Russell M. Nelson made it clear that those who stand as a disciple of Christ in these last days, which have been described as “perilous times,” will be put to the test and that the struggle will not be easy.  I love the Young Women’s theme WE ARE DAUGHTERS of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him. WE WILL “STAND as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” ( Mosiah 18:9  (Links to an external site.) inks to an external site. ) as we strive to live the Young Women values, which are: Faith • Divine Nature • Individual Worth • Knowledge • Choice and Accountability • Good Works • Integrity • and Virtue WE BELIEVE as we come to accept and act upon these values,  WE WILL BE PREPARED  to strengthen home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, receive the ordinances of the temple, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation. Sometimes it is hard to stand as a witness, but as President Nelson...

In class we read  State of Our Unions .  It was so interesting to read about the statistics of marriage and divorce and how both affect our children and our taxes!   Marriage is expensive.  According to The Knot magazine   the average cost to get married in the United States is  $35,239.  According to Wikipedia   the average cost of living for one year in the United States for one person is $20,194.  Two people aren’t going to be quite as expensive since they live in the same home rather than two separate homes, but this is just an average per person. Marriages that end in divorce also are very costly to the public.   Researcher, David Schramm, in “Individual and Social Costs of Divorce in Utah,” determined that a single divorce costs state and federal governments about $30,000, based on such factors as the increased use of food stamps and public hous­ing as well as increased bankruptcies and juvenile delinquen­cy. The...

On January 21, 1983 this happy couple was married for time and all eternity in the Oakland, California Temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Their seven children remarks about this picture were: "Look at all that hair!" I look fondly upon that day as I felt like Cinderella and was marrying my Prince Charming.  I had planned on serving a mission but instead chose to be married instead.  We were both young - 21 and in love.  According to Theresa DiDonato in Psychology Today, October 26, 2017 in an article titled Meet, Catch, and Keep  she states that dating one to two years prior to marriage decreased the likelihood of divorce by 20 percent.  Dating three or more years decreased the likelihood of divorce to about 50 percent.  She suggests that it can be helpful to have at least a few years together prior to marriage.   We met in July 1982 just a few weeks after Brad was released from serving a full-time mission, b...