A Shout-Out to the World

I'm joining the small-time blogger community to support families of all shapes and sizes around the world.  As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (also known as "The Mormon Church", learn more at mormon.org), my beliefs might be mentioned, but the information on this blog is meant to help support individuals and families of every religion.  From single mothers to families like the one I come from (with two parents and ten children), I hope that the messages shared here will reach out and touch others in a way that will help them to improve their own familial situations, and subsequently, the lives of those around them.   

The idea for this project came while spending 9-10 hours/week in the State Hospital (the highest security mental facility in UT), and the short-term wing of the Juvenile Detention Center in Provo.  These experiences have shown me that our society is more broken than I thought it was, here in the "happy valley" of Provo, Utah and beyond.  

I firmly believe that if more people understood the importance of their own families, crime and mental illness would decrease immensely.  There would be fewer jails and more community service centers.  There would be  less violence and more love.  There would be fewer broken homes and families.  There would be fewer starving children.  There would be more demand for jobs, and thus less unemployment.  This would bring less need for welfare, and thus, lower taxes.   High school graduation rates would be high, and gangs would almost cease to exist.

I’m not saying that if families decided to spend more time together and parents (particularly fathers) changed their priorities and put their family on top, everything would be rainbows and butterflies.  I realize that there will be hard days.  There will be days when the sun doesn't shine and the rain is cold and unforgiving.  

My vision is that, on those days, as the rain turns into sleet and hail, there will be a parent, a sibling, or a friend who will see that someone is shivering on the corner.  I hope that, as that individual is feeling alone in a vast universe of nothingness, what will start with a wet coat and wet cheeks will end with understanding and love.

So here's my shout-out to the world: YOUR OWN FAMILIES - especially your children -  ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR LIFE.  Worry about them first.  Your anger, pride, video games, nightlife, pornography, or next buzz or high is trash.  It is filth.  It is nothing compared to the love you have waiting for you if you just decide to put down the magazine, brush the chip off your shoulder, and commit yourself to a new life - one committed to family.

Posts will show up sometime between Sunday afternoon and Monday evening every week.  I anticipate that they will range from tips on strengthening marriages and relationships with children, educating children on everything from math facts to the sex talk, cheap family outings/activities ideas, service/sharing ideas, time management, etc.   

If you have a story, tip, or question that you would like to share on this blog, please don’t hesitate to email me at lisagerlach10@gmail.com.