Family

"One of the greatest blessings we can offer to the world is the power of a Christ-centered home where the gospel is taught, covenants are kept, and love abounds." Elder Richard G. Scott, For Peace at Home, April 2013 Conference

"Be certain that every decision you make, whether temporal or spiritual, is conditioned on what the Savior would have you do." Elder Richard G. Scott, For Peace at Home, April 2013 Conference

"As you center your home on the Savior, it will naturally become a refuge not only to your own family but also to friends who live in more difficult circumstances. They will be drawn to the serenity they feel there. Welcome such friends into your home." Elder Richard G. Scott, For Peace at Home, April 2013 Conference

"Our most important and powerful assignments are in the family. They are important because the family has the opportunity at the start of a child’s life to put feet firmly on the path home.”" Henry B. Eyring, Help Them on Their Way Home, General Conference April 2010

"The family, as we have traditionally known it, is such a refuge of safety. “The home is the basis of a righteous life and no other instrumentality can take its place or fulfil its essential functions.” 8 Actually, a home is much more than a house. A house is built of lumber, brick, and stone. A home is made of love, sacrifice, and respect. A house can be a home, and a home can be a heaven when it shelters a family." Thomas S. Monson, Dedication Day, April 2013 Conference

"We will not always be safe from the adversary’s influence, even within our own homes. We need to protect our nestlings." Elder Boyd K. Packer, These Things I Know, Octoboer 2000 Conference

"Teach yourself and teach your families about the gift of the Holy Ghost and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. You will do no greater eternal work than within the walls of your own home." Elder Boyd K. Packer, These Things I Know, April 2013 Conference

"While I do not have Tolstoy’s certainty that happy families are all alike, I have discovered one thing that most have in common: they have a way of forgiving and forgetting the imperfections of others and of looking for the good." President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, One Key to a Happy Family, October 2012

"Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities." President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, One Key to a Happy Family, October 2012

"May God help us to be a little more forgiving in our families, more forgiving of each other, and perhaps more forgiving even with ourselves. I pray that we may experience forgiveness as one wonderful way in which most happy families are alike." President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, One Key to a Happy Family, October 2012

I've learned a lot about the essential nature of families in recent times, and the search for these quotes has certainly reinforced what I've discovered. I loved seeing prophets and apostles identify families among the roots of joy and happiness in this life. It drives me to pursue that joy for my immediate and extended family, and dedicate myself to being fully prepared to contribute that joy to a family of my own. The idea that family is home, regardless of circumstances is a powerful one. The thought that forming a gospel centered family provides nothing short of a refuge from today's spiritual storms, for my family and others, is it's own motivation and reward.