Grandparents Day

My parents stopped by this morning before heading over to the kids' school to have lunch with them. Today is grandparents day so Sila and baby Hoko made sure to call them on Monday as soon as they got home from school to ask if they could come have lunch with them in honor of grandparents day. I totally forgot about it and was surprised to see my dad on my front porch ringing my doorbell. Lol. But it was a very good surprise and I didn't realize until that moment how much I've missed my parents. I know I just saw them at Sila's baptism two weeks ago, but I always miss them when even a week goes by. Lol. 

I always tell my kids that they will never fully realize how lucky they are to have both grandparents just a city away from them. Growing up without any of my grandparents nearby, I can definitely attest to this. I miss my grandparents so much. I only have one living grandma on my Mom's side at this time and I can't wait to see her in Dec for our family reunion in Australia. 

My grandpa, Savou (who I named my son after), came back in 2002, I think and that was the last time I saw him. When we took him to the airport to go back to Australia, as we were pulling out of the airport parking, I started sobbing. Hoko was so surprised and a little panicked. Yeah, my cry was that ugly and that dramatic. Lol. He asked me what was wrong and I told him that I missed my grandpa so much already and that I knew that I would never see him in this life again. I remember having a good cry all throughout the day that day. He passed away a couple of years later and I never saw him again. A day doesn't go by that I don't think of him. Especially when I look at my son, Savou. But it makes me all the more grateful for the plan of salvation and the knowledge that families are forever as long as the goal in my life is exaltation. 

I've been quite emotional this week while preparing my lesson for RS this Sunday. It's on the family and how the gospel is centered on strengthening families here on earth so that we may return to our heavenly home as part of our father's heavenly family. I can't wait and I hope and pray every day that I'll be worthy along with my husband and kids to return as a family to our heavenly family/home. 

I came across this in my lesson book. 'We should remember, as Latter-day Saints, that outside of the celestial kingdom, there is no family organization [after death]. That organization is reserved for those who are willing to abide in every covenant and every obligation which we are called upon to receive while we sojourn here in this mortal life.' 

When I first read that, I cried. Once again. I've always known that in order to be together as a family, we would have to make it to the celestial kingdom, but reading this excerpt seemed so final. It made me think of my kids and if one of them decided not to strive for exaltation, I would be so devastated. It's crazy cause in the lesson, it talks about imagining a world where strangers live amongst each other cause there's no family unit. How the other two kingdoms are going to be like this. I can't even imagine it and when I try, I cry. I am who I am because of my family. This has re-lit a fire within myself to try harder to keep our family eternal and to live up to every covenant I've made in the temple. P

The girls and I started our BofM reading once again this morning. The girls have, separately, voiced their concerns to me about feeling like their lives are off track. And this is my answer for everything. Going back to the basics and inviting the spirit of The Lord back into our lives on a personal level. I love my girls and the fact that they're old enough to read and participate in scripture study with me. I hope and pray that we stay close and that our relationships continue to flourish and grow cause I LOVE seeing them grow up and develop into the beautiful daughters of God that they are. 

Thanks to the atoning sacrifice of our dear Lord and Savior, every day is a new day to be better than the day before. I look forward, with a heavy heart, to working towards exaltation.