Become Your Child's Hero To Save A Nation

Sometimes the latest information is not the greatest information. History has been rewritten many times with less than flattering results to those who actually participated in that history. It is easy to second guess individuals who can not defend themselves, and many unscrupulous historians have taken advantage of many a dead man.

I have never figured out why a name has to be tarnished in the name of progress. If we truly want to progress past our weaknesses as individuals or as a nation wouldn't it be better to focus on the positive traits of someone rather than their negative traits? Or is it better to exploit the weaknesses or frailties of men we can not question, or who can not defend themselves and their own honor?

I believe, throughout history, God has used good men with weaknesses to accomplish great things and to help his people progress. The difference between a good man and a bad man is simply the traits that define them. Progress comes by acknowledging our weaknesses as individuals and as a society, but not letting those weaknesses determine who we are, and allowing our strengths, our own human potential to become like our Heavenly Father, to define us.

To find examples of these traits we often look back to history to find people who inspire us. We look to men lesser than God, but greater than ourselves to give us something to aspire to become like. This is what heroes do for us. They give us a shoulder to stand on. If we destroy our heroes and make our heroes men with nothing but weaknesses then we destroy our own hope to progress to a higher ground. And we will do as we have done, we will become what we have been told our heroes were.

How can we lose a whole generation? By uneducating them, that is how. We teach them that them the great men of history, their heroes, were bad men, full of weaknesses. We focus on their weaknesses and magnify them. We confuse them, disorient them, and take away their identity. We don't let them believe that all men came from greatness. We stop teaching them of their nobility. In other words strip them of their dignity. We destroy their view of the family, because if the family is strong then it breeds a strong sense of self worth and a sense of their divine potential. That is how you lose a generation and you destroy a nation.

How do you get it back? You have to focus on becoming the person you are meant to be and let your light shine through the darkness. You have to become the hero to your children so that they can see past the lies and deceit. Be the shoulders your children can stand on to reach for higher ground.

Sister Milligan Has Been Called To Serve...

I am a little slow in posting this mostly because initially I think I was somewhat in shock and I was fighting a bit of a strep throat. But, Lauree has gotten her mission call. She will be serving the Lord in the great country of Ecuador. She has been called to serve in the Quito Ecuador Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is funny how we have an idea where we think they may go, but it is a rare thing for someone to get their mission call to a place they think they are going to be called to. It was no exception for us this time. The place she was called was not even on our radar. I thought Europe, or possibly Eastern United States somewhere, but South America never even crossed my mind. It is exciting and it is interesting how quickly the Lord confirms the rightness of the call.
As a parent that confirmation is important, because if we are sending our child out we really don't want to worry about where they are serving. I know many who have been sent to missions where it is questionable how missionaries will be treated, without that confirmation it would be very difficult to send our children out to share the gospel.
As it is we have no doubt that Lauree will serve the Lord honorably and will be granted the blessings from her service, and the people of Ecuador will be blessed by her presence.