The things I think about

It happened at Church. The Relief Society lesson was from the Teachings of Presidents of the Church George Albert Smith. Title: The Power of Kindness. Words that President Smith wrote caused me to pause and think throughout the lesson. When a child goes astray, instead of berating him or her, try a little kindness. He gave the story of a mother travelling on a train to be beside the bed of her sixteen year old youngest son who was ill with pneumonia. He had run away from home. She sat with him and loved him back. This mother said that her son belonged to her, God gave him to her and that our Heavenly Father expected her to use every possible means to enrich his life, so she watched over him. I thought about that. She was right. God gave my sons to me. I am expected to enrich their lives. They are mine, I went down into the valley of death with my hand in God's to have them. Their wives didn't. That is a different kind of love. It is a partnership with me and God. No one else. Hell may prevail, adversity may rear its ugly head, wives may argue, which I hope they won't, but that does not detract from the fact that my sons are mine! As such I expect them to lead full lives, loving their wives and rearing their families and dealing honestly with their fellow men.  I love them dearly. And no one can take that love away from me, no one no matter what happens, they are mine. I am sure there are many other bloggers out there who would agree with me. Soon I will have an adopted daughter, a real, honest-to-goodness daughter. She is mine, because of the sacrifice given to help her long ago, rescuing her from a terrible fate. The same goes for that lovely lady as well as my sons. I am grateful for that lesson, teaching of kindness in its variety of ways.