Life is what you make it.

I was raised in a large family with two parents who loved each other deeply. There was and is a lot of love within our family and this helped me significantly feel secure as I grew up. My family struggled through many different stresses but the main focus of our family was always the gospel of Jesus Christ. This strong faith left me with a legacy of putting my love of God and family first. This example of sacrifice and commitment helped me tremendously as I began my own family 22 years ago. My husband and I both came from intact families and there is virtually no divorce in our direct family line. This legacy of covenant marriage is what continues to focus our efforts on building a strong family and staying devoted to one another. Elder Oaks said, “A good marriage does not require a perfect man or a perfect woman. It only requires a man and a woman committed to strive together toward perfection.” This is a very long process. There are many in our society that want that complete happiness now and are constantly working towards that or looking for it. Many run into serious problems as they feel they cannot be content unless they are always happy. This causes many divorces as spouses easily find fault with their partner and see the potential happiness they could be achieving with others. My husband and I have tried to follow the example of our imperfect but devoted parents. We have a great belief in the institution of marriage and that it is divine. Because we hold this belief, we have put a lot of effort into building up our foundation on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Our Savior taught us to sacrifice for one another and love one another. In a marriage these are the two most important things. Although we have had our fair share of heartache, we are able to stay committed to one another because of our eternal perspective of marriage. We know that we are on the road to perfection and we do not expect to ever reach that in this life. Our goal is to keep loving, sacrificing, and working towards this perfection.