One of the amazing benefits of family I have found is the confidence you share with one another. Alex has told me he has doubts, and that he is nervous about how he will do, but also that he understands his purpose. I am not putting any religious proclamations in this post, I am simply trying to emphasize the importance of family to each person. Family is the one thing that can remain stable in everyones life. It also can be and usually is entirely different for all people. Personally I don't think family is limited to blood relatives or marriages. Other people I know put emphasis on their belief in a higher being as the predecessor of their genealogy. It doesn't matter what composes your family if you can reap the same benefits from one another.
"Families are, or should be, a source of emotional support and comfort, warmth and nurturing, protection and security" (Schor). After talking to my cousin Alex about his mission last night, I considered my own fortune. I have learned to look inward for support, as your family is constant and other elements fade.
Schor, Edward. "The Importance of the Family." Caring for Your School-Age Child Ages 5-12. American Academy of Pediatrics. 06 Jul 1999 11 Dec 2008. http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZ1J60F79C⊂_cat=106.
I enjoyed this post about family. I love my family and I cant imagine not having them in my life.I remember in highschool all my friends complaining about how much they hate their parents. I wouldnt be caught dead saying that. I appriciate my family and I cant think of any other people I enjoy to be around.
ReplyDeleteOut of all my siblings, I'm the only one that didn't serve a mission. I decided to get married. Even that needed central support from home. I'm always comfortable in my own home with my own family. A couple of my brothers served foreign missions. Through letters, I could tell they were homesick at times. I don't think they would've survived if it weren't for their "central support" coming from home.
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting I love learning about different religions. I saw 4 LDS boys yesterday eating lunch and when they were done, they got on their bikes and peddled off. This mission that they go on, what happens when they are done? What would happen if they decided that they didn't want to go?
ReplyDeleteWow, the font here was really hard to read. I had to go to comment to actually be able to see it without losing eyesight, but it was green there, too! (Reconsider the lime-green font on a gray background.)
ReplyDeleteI am always fascinated with LDS missions, especially after spending my time in Salt Lake City. I was recently surprised to see two female missionaries come by my house about a month ago. That must be a new practice...
I agree with you: family is what you make it, and it will be interesting to hear about your brother's experiences when he is back from his mission.
Some suggestions: be more clear with the name of your source in your citation. The journal is the American Academy of Pediatrics, but was there an author? I don't think "Family" is as accurate as at least (AAP) would be.
Also, I'd like to see you make the connection between your brother's mission and "LDS patrons" stressing family. Maybe elaborate on that, especially since he will be without family during his time in Detroit.
Women serving missions has always been allowed, just not as prevelant. "Prior to 1960 the minimum age for young men to serve missions was 21 and for young women it was 23; in that year it was dropped to 19 and 21, respectively. That alone boosted the number of serving missionaries by approximately 40% (Bannack)." To answer the other question: if you chose not to serve a mission nothing happens to you. It is a personal choice. When you return, you pick up where you left off, whether that is continuing school or whatever you were doing before.
ReplyDeleteI changed the font color, I don't think I even looked at it once I posted so I apologize for that. The connection I was trying to make between the LDS emphasis on family is that when going on missions without family, I believe the mental strength that is gained from a committed family is what gets them through. My cousin is the one serving the mission, my brother and I are the only non-members in the family.
Bannack, Dave. "The LDS Missionary Program." Dave's Mormon Inquiry 30 May 2006 11 Dec 2008 http://mormoninquiry.typepad.com/mormon_inquiry/2006/05/the_lds_mission.html.