Families are Forever - Free 11x17 Printables - Primary Theme 2014

I made this print for our Primary bulletin board and thought I would share the love with all of you too in a couple of different colors - it's sized 11x17 and is easily printed at places likes, Office Depot, Stables, Kinko's etc.

Download the Red, Yellow, Blue version HERE**
Download the Teal, Green, Purple, Yellow version HERE**


For more of my custom prints & designs you can go HERE:)

** For Personal use only.

A Lovely Thought

You never really know who or what your baby is laughing at ♥♥♥

{image source unknown}

Home

"The most important … work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own home." 

~Harold B. Lee

A Love Everyone Deserves

"It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80′s arrived at the hospital to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am. The nurse took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would be able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor’s appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer’s Disease. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. I was surprised, and asked him, ‘And you still go every morning, even though she doesn’t know who you are?’ He smiled as he patted my hand and said, ‘She doesn’t know me, but I still know who she is.’"

{original post source}

Home

"No other success in life can compensate for failure in the home."

~David O. McKay

The Parable of the Chinese Bamboo Tree

One of my favorites:)

The Parable of the Chinese Bamboo Tree 

"In everything you do in your family, keep in mind the miracle of the Chinese bamboo tree. After the seed for this amazing tree is planted, you see nothing, absolutely nothing, for four years except for a tiny shoot coming out of a bulb. During those four years, all the growth is underground in a massive, fibrous root structure that spreads deep and wide in the earth. But then in the the fifth year the Chinese bamboo tree grows up to eighty feet!

Many things in family life are like the Chinese bamboo tree. You work and you invest time and effort, and you do everything you can possibly do to nurture growth, and sometimes you don't see anything for weeks, months, or even years. But if you're patient and keep working and nurturing, that "fifth year" will come, and you will be astonished at the growth and change you see taking place.

 Patience is faith in action. Patience is emotional diligence. It's the willingness to suffer inside so that others can grow. It reveals love. It gives birth to understanding."

From The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families by Stephen R. Covey (pp. 22-23)

Family Mission Statement

This is my family's - what's your?

{available HERE}

Family

"None of us need one more person... pointing out where we have failed or fallen short... what each of use does need is family... who believe in us, and who believe we're trying to do the best we can." 

~Marvin J. Ashton

Time

“Time is one of our most valuable possessions. Use it wisely. Remind yourselves often that things that matter most should not be left to the mercy of things that matter the least.” 

~ O. Leslie Stone, “Making Your Marriage Successful,” Ensign, May 1978.

A Lovely Thought

Family Life

“When we have sampled much and have wandered far and have seen how fleeting and sometimes superficial a lot of the world is, our gratitude grows for the privilege of being part of something we can count on—home and family and the loyalty of loved ones. We come to know what it means to be bound together by duty, by respect, by belonging. We learn that nothing can fully take the place of the blessed relationship of family life.”
(Thomas S. Monson, Love at Home, Liahona Aug 2011)

Family Happiness

"When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses."

~Joyce Brothers

Strong Identity

 

"Create meaningful family bonds that give your children an identity stronger than what they can find with their peer group or at school or anyplace else. This can be done through family traditions for birthdays, for holidays, for dinnertime, and for Sundays."
('What Matters Most Is What Lasts Longest', M. Russell Ballard)

Where Did The Years Go?

Thomas S. Monson:
"Near the end of his life, one father looked back on how he had spent his time on earth. An acclaimed, respected author of numerous scholarly works, he said, ‘I wish I had written one less book and taken my children fishing more often.’ Time passes quickly. Many parents say that it seems like yesterday that their children were born. Now those children are grown, perhaps with children of their own. ‘Where did the years go?’ they ask. We cannot call back time that is past, we cannot stop time that now is, and we cannot experience the future in our present state. Time is a gift, a treasure not to be put aside for the future but to be used wisely in the present.”

Expressions of Love

Incase you haven't seen it:)

Favorite Child

“Someone asked [a great opera singer who had a large family] which of her children was her favorite. Her reply revealed the depth of her true motherhood: ‘My favorite child is the one who is sick until he gets well or the one who is absent until he returns.’”

Harold B. Lee, Church News, 13 June 1964

He Will Honor Our Efforts

"Certainly there are times when getting the family together to read the scriptures does not stack up as a spiritual experience worthy of a journal entry. But we must not be deterred. There are special times when the spirit of a son or daughter is just right and the power of these great scriptures goes down into their heart like fire. As we honor our Heavenly Father in our homes, He will honor our efforts."
Neil L. Andersen, "Prophets and Spiritual Mole Crickets," Ensign, Nov. 1999, 17

God's Extraordinary Work

"God's extraordinary work is most often done by ordinary people in the seeming obscurity of a home and family."

- Neal A. Maxwell

And this is mine:)

Grandparents Role

“Grandparents can strengthen and inspire their grandchildren as they share their experiences, testimony, and faith. Their true stories of obedience, learning from mistakes, making sacrifices to reach eternal goals, and cheerfully facing problems can help children as they face similar experiences. In addition to talking with their grandchildren, grandparents can record their testimonies and experiences in journals, which can uplift and teach family members now and in future generations.“

 ~Teaching, No Greater Call

"Dad...why are we here?"

This made me giggle:

"At a recent Stake Conference of the Chula Vista, California Stake, President Paul B. Duncan related the following story.

President Duncan explained how Saturday was a day to get things done around their house because of work, family and church responsibilities. Just a few weeks ago he and his youngest son Jeff who is six years old had just finished mowing the lawn and were putting things away. President Duncan thought this would be a terrific opportunity to rest and spend a few minutes with Jeff. The two of them crawled up on the family's trampoline and gazed up into the blue sky. With a puzzled look Jeff turned and asked "Dad,...Why are we here?" President Duncan thought this would be great teaching opportunity so he explained how we are children of our Father in Heaven, How he has sent us here because he loves us and wants us to experience the things he has created for us, How he wants us to serve one another, to learn, to grow and to develop those qualties that will allow us to return to live with Him some day. President Duncan paused and asked if that had answered his question. Jeff responded, "Not really". President Duncan then began to think how else he might be able to answer the question when Jeff again asked, "Dad,...Why are we here?...weren't we supposed to pick Mom up an hour ago?"

(Re-posted from here)