The Friend

This year we decided that Lincoln was old enough for us to read him The Friend magazine. So we ordered it to start coming along with our Ensign. We've started reading the kids a story out of it each night at bed time. I love it! I thought it would just be a good experience for Lincoln, but I'm finding that the simple way the magazine shares the principles of the gospel have been really good for me as well. One of my favorite stories this month was Losing Apollo. It put in a different perspective for me how our Heavenly Father always answers our prayers. And how he loves us and cares about us so much, that sometimes he tells us no.

A lot lately I've been seeing our Heavenly Father as a parent figure (this should be a no brainer, but for some reason I've been having a lot of ah-ha moments about this relationship) and seeing how He treats and loves his children the same way I am trying to treat and love mine. Obviously, He is a lot better at it than me. :) But maybe as I am experiencing all the many feelings of parenthood, and how I still love my children even when they are driving me up the walls, I'm starting to understand a tiny bit better the way our Heavenly Father feels about each one of us. I've had a really strong testimony of the fact that he does love us for a long time, but I think just recently I'm starting to get a glimpse of the extent of that love.

I'm grateful for The Friend, and for the time I've gotten to spend seeing the gospel through my childrens eyes and through the eyes of the child in me that makes everything so simple.