Sweet Sunday - Father's Day

Today is one of a very few Father's Days I have spent away from my father. He is visiting two of my brothers this weekend and I am grateful they will be able to spend time together. Two of my brothers are loving and dedicated fathers and I know my youngest brother (who already has a special gift with children) will be an amazing father in the future.

Part of the reason my brothers are such fine fathers is because of the example of our own father. He always worked hard to provide well for our family. Dad lived much of his life without a father in his home, so he lacked the example of a strong father. Yet Dad always made his family a priority and strove to be a righteous father. Dad has never been perfect, but he has asked for forgiveness when he has made mistakes. I have been touched many times by his efforts to constantly improve and strengthen his weaknesses.

I have learned many important lessons from my father, but the most important lesson is to be a good judge. What exactly does that mean? Elder Dallin Oaks explained it perfectly in this talk when he said:

There are two kinds of judging: final judgments, which we are forbidden to make, and intermediate judgments, which we are directed to make, but upon righteous principles.

We must, of course, make judgments every day in the exercise of our moral agency, but we must be careful that our judgments of people are intermediate and not final. Thus, our Savior’s teachings contain many commandments we cannot keep without making intermediate judgments of people.

We all make judgments in choosing our friends, in choosing how we will spend our time and our money, and, of course, in choosing an eternal companion. Some of these intermediate judgments are surely among those the Savior referenced when He taught that “the weightier matters of the law” include judgment (Matthew 23:23)

My dad always taught us to make wise choices, especially when it really counted! He encouraged us to seek out "quality" friends and spouses. I have always tried to be thoughtful in making important decisions and I believe my siblings are all wise judges.

Thanks Dad for teaching me this lesson! I love you and will be eternally grateful for your guidance and example. Happy Father's Day!

Dad holding me as a newborn.
I love the smile on his face. It is the same today!
I also love the full bookshelf behind him.
I have clearly inherited my parents' love of books.