Proclamations - Jenny Dunn

This post comes from my cousin Jenny, BYU student extraordinaire.
She is the second of six kids, an avid learner, and is eager for Winter to end.
If you're interested in contributing my this series about the Family, please email me at readyformycloseupmrdemille@gmail.com

“We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.”

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints places a major emphasis on the importance of the family. As a member of the LDS church I firmly believe that the family truly is the basis and foundation of society. Every child deserves a mother and a father. But more than that, they deserve parents who are married and devoted to one another. Marriage is what every Latter-day Saint aspires to be a part of. I have personally had the wonderful opportunity to witness how wonderful marriage can be. My parents have, what I have come to learn, is a fairly unique relationship. They are truly devoted to one another’s happiness. They put each other’s needs before their own. They are seeking everyday to become more like Jesus Christ- together. That is just as marriage should be- working together to be better, everyday. I am nowhere near close to getting married but I want to. I have gone through stages where I was unsure if marriage was something I truly desired. I have seen and heard of marriages that ended so badly that I was convinced that marriage just did not work and was not worth the attempt. But the two things I kept coming back to were the happiness that my parents have found in their marriage and that “marriage . . . is ordained of God.” It is part of His plan for me, and for all of His children. He knows that marriage can make us happier. Of course it is going to be hard- but we will learn and grow through the experience.

Jenny and her fabulous family, minus her older sister who was serving an LDS mission in NYC.

My family, while I am not always show it, is so important to me. I have the great blessing of being at a BYU, where my older sister is currently attending and where my dad is a professor on campus. Additionally, my family only lives 20 minutes away and so I get to see them as often as I desire. It is fantastic. I know that God set up the family structure to better facilitate our happiness and that our relationships with one another are one of the most important things we gain from this life on Earth. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family and to have two parents who fully understand the importance of family and who do all in their power to continually strengthen ours. From them I have learned just how important families truly are.

Because of the love I have for my family I look forward to the day when I will eventually have my own. I am excited to have a career. I cannot wait to be a teacher and influence students and impart all of my English teaching wisdom to them. But at the same time I know that being a wife and a mother and having a family- and imparting my wisdom to children (!) is more important. God has plans for each of His children. He wants each of us to be happy and therefore He gave us families. My family makes me so happy and I know that this is the way it is should be. Families are essential for our everlasting happiness. Because of God’s love for His children He gave us families- I feel as though I can’t emphasize that point enough!

One of the things I wish for most is that people would understand the importance of family and how important it is for a man and a woman to be committed to each other through marriage and to raise a family in love and in an environment where everyone is working together to be better and to improve the quality of life for one another. Think of how much would change if every child came from such a loving home!