One of the ways we fail to use our agency for our own good and blessing is neglecting to make a conscious decision to connect with God, and fill our own hearts with love, every, single day. (Preferably first thing!)

Connecting with Heaven is the ultimate “self-care,” and the way to find peace and love and strength in our family relationships.

That’s because, the unconditional love we need, in order to be unconditionally loving wives and mothers and daughters, aunts and friends, is found ultimately in our relationship with God and those friends who also feel loved and can love us no matter what mistakes we’ve made.

So, we can decide to have a dedicated time when we can connect & gather love, and then we can approach that time and those activities with the intention to gather love, not to check off a box on a to-do list.

We hear His voice and feel His love as we pray & read holy scriptures with the intent to hear and feel His love.

Of all the choices we can make, this one is crucial to our success as loving individuals and as cohesive families.

How do we know we need this daily infusion of love? Because of all the ways we and our spouses and kids “act out,” throw tantrums (child or adult), hide or run from each other, use sarcasm, criticism, or yelling, and generally behave in ways that scream, “I don’t feel loved and supported myself!”

Connecting with God is the first step to sobriety, sanity, stability and compassion.

And no, I’m not talking about following a rule or checking off a box each day that says I dutifully prayed and read my scriptures. I’m talking about coming, through consecrated time and energy spent, to the Lord and seeing Him as He is!

Elder Robert M. Daines said this in October LDS General Conference:

“When I realized that I was spiritually face blind, that I saw rules but not the face of the Father’s mercy, I knew it wasn’t the Church’s fault. It wasn’t God’s, and it didn’t mean everything was lost; it’s something we all have to learn….I started to follow Mormon’s counsel to pray a”with all the energy of heart” to be filled with the love promised His disciples–my love for Him and His love for me–and to “see him as he is…and have this hope.” I prayed for years to be able to follow the first great commandment to love God and to feel that “first great truth…that God loves us with all of His heart, might, mind, and.strength.”

“I also read and reread and reread the four Gospels—this time reading not to extract rules but to see who He is and what He loves. And, in time, I was swept away by the river of love that flowed from Him.”

The answer to our well being and the health and well being of our family relationships is Jesus.

I’ve made a one page download for you to consider the why’s and how’s of creating your own love gathering routine.

And here’s a little music for inspiration!

Be well my friend! I wish you every good thing in this coming year.