Mormons believe that families are forever, that family relationships continue in the next life. That is one of the reasons why we put so much emphasis on families.

A forever family is not an automatic result of being married on earth. Marriages performed outside of a temple last until death or as stated in some ceremonies, "'til death do us part." This is because in order for a marriage to last after death, it must be performed by someone who has the power to bind on earth and heaven. This is called the sealing power.

Elijah, a prophet of the Old Testament, had the sealing power. He sealed the heavens so there would be no rain (1 Kings 17:1). The sealing power is part of the priesthood, God's power given to men to act in His name. At the end of the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi prophesied that Elijah would return and that he would "turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers" (Malachi 4:6). Elijah did return on April 3,1836 to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple. There Elijah gave Joseph and Oliver the priesthood keys of sealing (Doctrine & Covenants 110). That sealing power is given to worthy priesthood holders who act in the temple to seal couples and families. They have the priesthood power to bind on earth and heaven.

Once a couple is sealed in the temple, they must keep the covenants they made to God and each other. If they remain faithful and keep the commandments, they will be together with their children in the eternities, life with Jesus Christ.

If this doctrine seems impossible or unbelievable or intriguing, find out for yourself if it is true. In order to find out, you need to learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and our teachings, then pray to know if what we teach is true. It either is or isn't. If you sincerely study and pray, you will receive an answer through the power of the Holy Ghost.

A more true statement is that Families Can Be Together Forever. If that is something you want for your family, I invite you to learn more.

Because of a sadness in our family this past week, I've been pondering what gives me the most strength--my faith in Jesus Christ or the sealing bonds of family. The best answer I can give to that is a song our young children are learning this year in Primary (their classes on Sunday).
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The Family is of God (follow this link to listen)
Our Father has a family. It’s me!
It’s you, all others too: we are His children.
He sent each one of us to earth, through birth,
To live and learn here in fam’lies.
[Chorus]
God gave us families to help us become what He wants us to be--
This is how He shares His love, for the fam’ly is of God.

Before we came to earth we lived as spirits together. Heavenly Father or God is the father of our Spirits. Jesus Christ is our elder brother. The plan was that we would come to earth to receive a body and make choices. Because we would make mistakes and sin and no unclean thing can live with God, Jesus Christ agreed to be our Savior. He came to earth, taught us how to live by word and example, and suffered and died for us. Through His atonement and resurrection, all of us--every single one of us who has lived, now lives, and will live upon the earth--will be resurrected. As a result of the atonement, Christ not only suffered for our sins but He experienced all of our sorrows, heartache, and disappointments. That is how He can be a Savior for us. We can turn to Him for comfort and in gratitude. Christ's atonement is for everyone.

On earth we needed to learn and grow and make choices. We all do that in families. No matter what your current situation or belief about marriage, every single one of us came to a family. Some of those situations were not ideal. In fact, there is no perfect family. And if you are reading this and sorrowing or resentful about your own family situation, I'm sorry. While my family is not perfect, we have so many great things going for us. I love my family--the one I came from, my husband's family, my own family, and the prospect of family to come. I know my parents loved me, sacrificed for me, hurt, and rejoiced for and with me. They taught me and they continue to support and love me. I love my husband more than I can express, more than an infinity of battleships. He provides for us, listens to me, loves our children, and makes me laugh. Along with my marriage, the best experiences of my life so far have been the birth of my children. And yes, being a parent is hard. But it is also the best thing in the world. Holding that newborn infant who trusts you completely, a hug from a toddler, watching them grow taller and smarter and develop talents, seeing them make hard choices, and observing their good choices. This is how God shares His love with us. For the family is of God.

As a Mormon I worship Jesus Christ. As a member of a family, I am given the opportunity to live, learn, and love deeply.

For a church which has high standards of dress and behavior, we have few restrictions for celebrating holidays and special occasions. Most members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or Mormons celebrate major holidays and the holidays of their countries. The way we celebrate those holidays is usually based on family tradition. In the United States we celebrate Christmas, Easter, the 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and New Year's. I think that most families try to keep the emphasis for Christmas and Easter on the spiritual meaning of the holidays, Christ's birth and resurrection. We do give and receive presents on Christmas. For Easter my husband's family had their Easter egg hunt on the Saturday before Easter Sunday. My family woke up to hidden eggs, candy, and baskets on Easter Sunday. We never celebrate by drinking alcohol. Our family enjoys sparkling apple cider on New Year's Eve. Some cultural celebrations and practices may need to be revised or eliminated when a person joins the church. Elder Dallin H. Oaks, an apostle of Jesus Christ, explains, "To help its members all over the world, the Church teaches us to give up any personal or family traditions or practices that are contrary to the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ and to this gospel culture" (Ensign, March 2012). The standard for cultural practices is in the 13th Article of Faith, "We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."

Not only do we celebrate holidays and birthdays, we also use ordinances and blessings as a time to get together as families. Some of these occasions are baby blessings, baptisms, young men receiving the priesthood, when missionaries leave and return from missions, and weddings. Family support gives us strength. We also appreciate the support of our ward family or the other members of our assigned congregation.

A unique holiday for Mormons is the 24th of July. This is a state holiday in Utah, but many of us also celebrate or at least keep this monumental day in mind. The 24th of July or Pioneer day commemorates when Mormon pioneers first entered the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. As a special family history note, my ancestor, Shadrach Roundy, was a member of the advance group. Brigham Young, the leader and prophet of the church then, descended into the Salt Lake Valley on July 24. Shadrach Roundy first saw the Salt Lake Valley on July 22 and along with five other men broke ground to plant seeds in the current location of the  City and County building. He was almost 59 years old.

My Mormon faith is based on Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Much of my Mormon culture centers on family. Being together with family for holidays and special occasions makes me even more grateful for a loving Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, who knew that we would experience great joy and growth in families.