I just returned from a
Tanner family reunion with my dad’s family. I LOVE Tanner gatherings. With my dad being 1 of 13 children our family is So large
that big gatherings only happen once every 2 years. Someone just figured out at this last reunion that there are
now 103 or 106 great-grandchildren with 6 on the way!
As usual after a family
get-together I was reminded again how family is really the most important thing
in life, and how wonderful it is to have people who care deeply about you. How evident it is to me that such an
important social unit is meant to be FOREVER .
The theme of this year’s
reunion was “He Lives In You” from the Broadway version of The Lion King. The song is a reminder to Simba that
his father never really left him, that what he taught and who he was lives on
within him, Simba.
In reference to
the theme, we were remembering and celebrating the fantastic person that my
Grandpa, William Coats Tanner Jr. was and is. What a posterity he has left behind! As we shared stories
and reminisced about Grandpa I realized just how true that statement was, He
really Does live in all of us Tanners, in one way or another we are so much
like him. And his legacy of
Choosing who you want to be and especially Choosing to be Happy has had Eternal
impact on each of us in my opinion.
Check out the song:He Lives In You.
With all this in mind I
was re-watching Elder Nelson’s talk in the LDS General Conference from April of
this year and one part really stood out to me, probably because of my recent
train of thought;
"Under
God’s great plan of happiness, families can be sealed in temples and be
prepared to return to dwell in His holy presence forever. That is eternal life! It fulfills the deepest longings of the human soul—the natural yearning for endless
association with beloved members of one’s family."
-Elder Nelson, “Thanks Be To
God”, LDS General Conference, April 2012
And I couldn’t help but
think that even more than my Grandpa Tanner we ALL have a Heavenly Father who lives in
each of us. Who wants us to know
and follow all the council that He has given us to make sure that we become
like Him so that we can Live WITH Him forever.
Well said Michelle! I think Uncle Mark choose the theme and it was perfect. I love the fact the we are also children of God and that those divine characteristics do in fact live in each one of His children. Love you, Mom
ReplyDeleteThanks Momma,
DeleteI think that is why family units are so powerful, or a reason why they are; because they mirror the bigger family unit that we are all a part of.
Wish we could have been there. Great thoughts Shesh.
ReplyDeleteWish you could have been there too, it was fantastic. But, you know, sometimes you have a baby...
DeleteHow cool! I recently read a talk by Sheri Dew that talked about this scene in the Lion King (the movie) and related that same concept in her talk--I loved it! I heard you were looking for a book on fb and I am ready "no doubt about it" by Sheri Dew, which is basically a bunch of her talks compiled. It is so great an I am loving it! I highly recommend it :) I am also starting the harry potter series again to get Jason hooked, and thats been pretty good too :)
ReplyDeleteChelsea,
DeleteThat's awesome, I'll have to look that talk/book up both sound awesome. I can't read the Harry Potter series enough, truth be told. :)