Dunson Adventures

Let’s get this party started Are you picturing your last late-night party that you danced the night away? I’m not talking about that kind of party. I’m talking about a family work party. Yes raising a family is hard work. But that’s not what I’m talking about either. In our house, Saturday mornings are typically spent cleaning together and listening to the parents' music of choice. Everyone is cleaning. You could call it mandatory family fun. I say this in jest. Cleaning isn’t my favorite thing to do. In all honesty, when I can afford it I pay someone to help me clean the house. So what’s the point? What are we doing? Do I just want to make my children miserable? No. I know the value of family work. I know that it strengthens my family. The Family: A Proclamation to the World teaches us, “Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of. . . work.” “The reason family-centered work brings blessings and salvation is so obvious in common experience t

Faith in Family Life We’ve all heard the African saying, “It takes a village to raise a child. In today's fast-paced world where do we find such a village? Well, the first place to look is our own family. There’s parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. What if we are far from our families? Then we could turn to our neighbors, schools, and communities. What if they do not share our same values and thinking that we wish to teach our children? Many people have turned to their schools with disappointing results. Who then should we turn to? Our church family! We likely share many of the same values with our church family. I am so thankful to be a part of a worldwide church. My husband is a soldier and we often move. I don’t have to find a new church family whenever we move.  The Family: A Proclamation to the World   teaches us, “ Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith [and] prayer.” There are numerous scientific s

Father Knows Best   What I know about fatherhood I’ve learned from the many Godly men that have influenced my life. My own biological father was not in my life as a child. I had many “stand in Dads”. Men that loved me and provided for me. The best example of fatherhood that I have seen is that of my own husband with my children. He also didn’t have his biological father present I n his life. You could never tell though. He is loving, patient, playful, nurturing, and when appropriate firm.   The Family: A Proclamation to the World   teaches us that “by divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness.”    Let’s break that down.  Fatherhood = Preside  1.     Spiritual leader 2.     Provide the necessities of life 3.     Spiritually guide in love and righteousness Preside does not mean  1.     All-knowing 2.     Fear inducing 3.     Controlling   “President Ezra Taft Benson reinforced this key principle of fathering in a conference address: “Go

Importance of Mothers   When I was a child, I dreamed about what I could do to make the world a better place. Nowhere in my dream was having a family. Whatever it was I would make a bunch of money and probably have several degrees. I saw a photo of children in Africa. There need was so great. There were humanitarians handing out aid and doctors providing life-saving vaccinations. I noticed there were several people in the photos who looked like they needed some dental care. That’s it I thought. I’ll go to the other side of the world and become a dentist. That’s how I can make the world a better place.   Fast forward 20 or so years. Yes, I’m living on the other side of the world. Am I a dentist? No. What do I do then? Well, I work for the US Embassy. What’s my profession? I am a mother of 5. I am a hardworking, dedicated, God-fearing, Christian Values living mother. This will be my life’s work and legacy. Mother.   “Motherhood is the greatest potential influence either for good or ill i

The Eternal Family: A Plain and Precious Part of the Plan of Salvation The Family: A Proclamation to the World teaches us that, “The family is central to the creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of his children. . . . In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life.” Why are families so important to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?   Life is all about family by divine design. We know this to be true and we embrace it. We celebrate it.   “In 1995, President Gordon B. Hinckley reiterated the doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints concerning eternal marriages and families when he taught in the proclamation that the divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond t

Equal Partnership between Men and Women in Families So, who’s in charge anyway? Well in marriage The Family: A Proclamation to the World teaches us that, “By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.” I love this concept and believe that it is biblically sound. The Lord provided Adam a helpmeet in Eden as stated in Genesis 2:18 .  “The significance of this phrase “help meet” is that the woman is a creation who is a fitting and proper companion for Adam because she is like him and corresponds to him. This concept is further solidified by the description of the creation of woman as being formed from the rib of Adam—a rib being a metaphor for a person corresponding to Adam. Mode

The Family: A Proclamation to the World declares that “marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God”, and that “husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other” How do we go about sharing that love for each other? I’ve only been married for 19 years so I feel like our marriage is still at the beginning of our lifelong journey together.   Here are 5 Foundational Processes from the Family proclamation that helps strengthen our marriages. I learned this from my textbook; Marriages and Families Proclamation Principles and Research Perspectives Edited by Alan J. Hawkins David C. Dollahite Thomas W. Draper ·   Foundational Process #1: Personal Commitment to the Marriage Covenant. marriage is a purposeful, divinely created relationship, not merely a social custom, and that couples have God-given covenant obligations to one another. ·   Foundational Process #2: Love and Friendship. The proclamation mentions the responsibility to love and care be