miss each other so much

Sister Runia shared of her and her husband being called as mission leaders in Australia. After six months, their two youngest children decided to return to Utah to finish high school.

As their daughter, Berkeley, prepared to leave Australia, Sister Runia suggested they set an alarm on their phones to remind them to connect every day — Sister Runia in the morning in Australia, and Berkeley in the afternoon after school in Utah.

“One morning as I was waiting for her to call, I remember thinking, ‘What if, when each of us left our heavenly home, we made a similar agreement with our Father in Heaven?’” said Sister Runia. “And imagine if we said, ‘We’re going to miss each other so much. Let’s set this up. We’ll talk every morning and evening through prayer so we can connect every day.’”

Like the story with her daughter, Sister Runia asked, “Are we connecting to our Father in Heaven every day?”

When heaven feels silent, ‘keep praying,’ Sister Runia tells BYU–Pathway students: Sister Tamara W. Runia of the Young Women general presidency shares 3 truths she’s learned about prayer. Church News. April 7, 2026. 

do you have prayers in your family

Do you have prayers in your family? . . . And when you do, do you go through the operation like the guiding of a piece of machinery, or do you bow in meekness and with a sincere desire to seek the blessing of God upon you and your household? That is the way that we ought to do, and cultivate a spirit of devotion and trust in God, dedicating ourselves to him, and seeking his blessings.

John Taylor (Journal of Discourses, 20:118.)

lives filled with purpose and service

The words of our dear prophet still echo in my mind: “God wants us to work together and help each other. That is why He sends us to earth in families and organizes us into wards and stakes. That is why He asks us to serve and minister to each other. That is why He asks us to live in the world but not be of the world.”

When our lives are filled with purpose and service, we avoid spiritual apathy; on the other hand, when our lives are deprived of divine purpose, meaningful service to others, and sacred opportunities for pondering and reflection, we gradually become suffocated by our own activity and self-interest, risking losing our savor. The antidote to this is to continue to be involved in service—being anxiously engaged in good works and the betterment of ourselves and the society we live in.

José A. Teixeira

"Bonded to Jesus Christ: Becoming the Salt of the Earth", General Conference October 2024

unless it quits trying

Love is the thing that changes hearts. It is the purest motive of all, and others can feel it. Let’s hold fast to these prophetic words offered 50 years ago: “No home is a failure unless it quits trying.” Surely, those who love the most and the longest win!

Tamara W. Runia

"Seeing God’s Family through the Overview Lens," General Conference October 2023

an opportunity to learn how to love

Shortly after Elder Neal A. Maxwell passed away, a reporter asked his son what he’d miss most. He said dinners at his parents’ house because he always left feeling like his dad believed in him.

This was around the time our adult children were starting to come home for Sunday dinners with their spouses. During the week, I found myself making lists in my mind of things I could remind them of on Sunday, like “Maybe try and help out more with the kids when you’re home” or “Don’t forget to be a good listener.”

When I read Brother Maxwell’s comment, I threw away the lists and silenced that critical voice, so when I saw my grown children for that brief time each week, I focused on the many positive things they were already doing. When our oldest son, Ryan, passed away a few years later, I remember being grateful our time together was happier and more positive.

Before we interact with a loved one, can we ask ourselves the question “Is what I’m about to do or say helpful or hurtful?” Our words are one of our superpowers, and family members are like human blackboards, standing in front of us saying, “Write what you think of me!” These messages, whether intentional or unintentional, should be hopeful and encouraging.

Our job is not to teach someone who’s going through a rough patch that they are bad or disappointing. On rare occasions we may feel prompted to correct, but most often let’s tell our loved ones in spoken and unspoken ways the messages they long to hear: “Our family feels whole and complete because you are in it.” “You will be loved for the rest of your life—no matter what.”

Sometimes what we need is empathy more than advice; listening more than a lecture; someone who hears and wonders, “How would I have to feel to say what they just said?”

Remember, families are a God-given laboratory where we’re figuring things out, so missteps and miscalculations are not just possible but probable. And wouldn’t it be interesting if, at the end of our lives, we could see that those relationships, even those challenging moments, were the very things that helped us to become more like our Savior? Each difficult interaction is an opportunity to learn how to love at a deeper level—a godlike level.

Tamara W. Runia

"Seeing God’s Family through the Overview Lens," General Conference October 2023

joy in this life, right now

“Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, … and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.

“And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border.”(Jeremiah 36:16-17)

Jesus Christ is the “hope in thine end.” Nothing we have or have not done is beyond the reach of His infinite and eternal sacrifice. He is the reason why it is never the end of our story. Therefore we “must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if [we] shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: [We] shall have eternal life.” (2 Nephi 31:20)

Eternal life is eternal joy. Joy in this life, right now—not despite the challenges of our day but because of the Lord’s help to learn from and ultimately overcome them—and immeasurable joy in the life to come. Tears will dry up, broken hearts will be mended, what is lost shall be found, concerns shall be resolved, families will be restored, and all that the Father hath will be ours.

Amy A. Wright

"Abide the Day in Christ," General Conference October 2023

oh, how it mattered!

It was a crisp fall day when I first heard the words “You have cancer.” My husband and I were stunned! As we drove home in silence, processing the news, my heart turned to our three sons.

In my mind I asked Heavenly Father, “Am I going to die?”

The Holy Ghost whispered, “Everything is going to be OK.”

Then I asked, “Am I going to live?”

Again, the answer came: “Everything is going to be OK.”

I was confused. Why did I receive the exact same answer whether I lived or died?

Then suddenly every fiber of my being filled with absolute peace as I was reminded: We did not need to hurry home and teach our children how to pray. They knew how to receive answers and comfort from prayer. We did not need to hurry home and teach them about the scriptures or words of living prophets. Those words were already a familiar source of strength and understanding. We did not need to hurry home and teach them about repentance, the Resurrection, the Restoration, the plan of salvation, eternal families, or the very doctrine of Jesus Christ.

In that moment every family home evening lesson, scripture study session, prayer of faith offered, blessing given, testimony shared, covenant made and kept, house of the Lord attended, and Sabbath day observed mattered—oh, how it mattered! It was too late to put oil in our lamps. We needed every single drop, and we needed it right now!

Amy A. Wright

"Abide the Day in Christ," General Conference October 2023

the very reason the earth was created

The very reason the earth was created was so families could be formed and sealed to each other. Salvation is an individual matter, but exaltation is a family matter. No one can be exalted alone.

President Russell M. Nelson

In the funeral services for Sister Pat Holland, wife of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. July 2023. As found in "The Sealing Power," by D. Todd Christofferson. General Conference October 2023

one link in the chain of your generations

To you who have experienced the heartache of a divorce in your family or felt the agony of violated trust, please remember [that God’s pattern for families] begins again with you! One link in the chain of your generations may have been broken, but the other righteous links and what remains of the chain are nonetheless eternally important. You can add strength to your chain and perhaps even help to restore the broken links. That work will be accomplished one by one.

David A. Bednar

“A Welding Link” (worldwide devotional for young adults, Sept. 10, 2017), Gospel Library. As found in "The Sealing Power," by D. Todd Christofferson. General Conference October 2023

it would have been worth all that it has cost

I have said many times that if nothing else came out of all of the sorrow and travail and pain of the restoration than the sealing power of the holy priesthood to bind together families forever, it would have been worth all that it has cost.

Gordon B. Hinckley

Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley (1997), 475–76. As found in "The Sealing Power," by D. Todd Christofferson. General Conference October 2023

bred of earth

We were bred of earth before we were born of our mothers. Once born, we can live without mother or father, or any other kin, or any friend, or any human love. We cannot live without the earth or apart from it, and something is shriveled in a man's heart when he turns away from it and concerns himself only with the affairs of men.

Majorie Kinnan Rawlings

Cross Creek. 1942. Mockingbird Books Inc. p.2

go play with the children

Once I learned an important lesson from my wife. I traveled extensively in my profession. I had been gone almost two weeks and returned home one Saturday morning. I had four hours before I needed to attend another meeting. I noticed that our little washing machine had broken down and my wife was washing the clothes by hand. I began to fix the machine. 

Jeanene came by and said, “Rich, what are you doing?”

I said, “I’m repairing the washing machine so you don’t have to do this by hand.”

She said, “No. Go play with the children.”

I said, “I can play with the children anytime. I want to help you.”

Then she said, “Richard, please go play with the children.”

When she spoke to me that authoritatively, I obeyed.

I had a marvelous time with our children. We chased each other around and rolled in the fall leaves. Later I went to my meeting. I probably would have forgotten that experience were it not for the lesson that she wanted me to learn.

The next morning about 4:00 a.m., I was awakened as I felt two little arms around my neck, a kiss on the cheek, and these words whispered in my ear, which I will never forget: “Dad, I love you. You are my best friend.”

If you are having that kind of experience in your family, you are having one of the supernal joys of life.

Richard G. Scott, "The Eternal Blessings of Marriage." April 2011 General Conference

centers on family life

“The great plan of happiness” centers on family life. The husband is the head of the home and the wife the heart of the home. And marriage is an equal partnership. A Latter-day Saint man is a responsible family man, faithful in the gospel. He is a caring, devoted husband and father. He reveres womanhood. The wife sustains her husband. Both parents nurture the spiritual growth of their children. 

Boyd K. Packer, "Guided by the Holy Spirit." April 2011 General Conference

accommodating to parents

I would hope that Latter-day Saints would be at the forefront in creating an environment in the workplace that is more receptive and accommodating to both women and men in their responsibilities as parents. 

Quentin L. Cook, "LDS Women Are Incredible!" April 2011 General Conference

they’d go on for as long as it took

The feeling in the Zamperini home was the same as in the Phillipses’. When the initial shock from the death notice faded, all of the Zamperinis realized that it changed nothing. The notice had been generated as a bureaucratic matter of course, a designation made for all missing servicemen after thirteen months had passed. Louie’s official death date was listed as May 28, 1944, a year and a day after his plane had vanished. The notice was just a piece of paper. “None of us believed it. None of us,” Sylvia would say. “Never once. Not underneath, even.” 

Inside themselves, the Zamperinis still felt that persistent little echo of Louie, the sense that he was still in the world somewhere. Until it was gone, they would go on believing that he was alive. 

During family dinners, Pete and his father began drawing up plans to hunt for Louie. When the war was over, they’d rent a boat and sail from island to island until they found him. They’d go on for as long as it took.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand. Random House. 2010. 496 pages.

the laboratory of our lives

All of us remember the home of our childhood. Interestingly, our thoughts do not dwell on whether the house was large or small, the neighborhood fashionable or downtrodden. Rather, we delight in the experiences we shared as a family. The home is the laboratory of our lives, and what we learn there largely determines what we do when we leave there.

President Thomas S. Monson, “Hallmarks of a Happy Home,” Ensign Nov. 1988 as quoted in To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson by Heidi Swinton, Deseret Book. 2010.

grab hold of your family

“I hope that the avalanche of lights and camera flashs rushing toward you is a light one,” wrote Hernan Rivera Letelier, a Chilean writer, as he sought to warn the miners of the media barrage headed their way. “It is true that you have survived a long season in hell, but when all is said and done, it was a hell you know. What is headed your way, companions, is a hell that you have not experienced at all: the hell of the show, the alienating hell of TV sets. I have only got one thing to say to you, my friends: grab hold of your family. Don't let them go, don't let them out of your sight, don't waste them. Hold on to them as you hung on to the capsule that brought you out. It's the only way to survive the media deluge that is raining down on you.”

33 Men: Inside the Miraculous Survival and Dramatic Rescue of the Chilean Miners by Jonathan Franklin. Putnam 2011.

love is really spelled t-i-m-e

In family relationships love is really spelled t-i-m-e, time.


"Of Things That Matter Most," Dieter F. Uchtdorf, General Conference October 2010

lubricants for the machinery of life

The influence of prayer in strengthening family ties and marriages has been beautifully expressed by Catherine Marshall, widow of Peter C. Marshall, chaplain of the U.S. Senate. In her book A Man Called Peter she writes:

“Though like every normal couple, Peter and I were sometimes in disagreement, we found that these differences could never become serious or bitter so long as we could pray together. So thoroughly did we learn this lesson that it was one of the chief bits of advice Peter always gave to couples whose marriages were almost bankrupt. ‘If you will get down on your knees together,’ he would tell them, ‘your difficulties will soon be solved. You just can’t pray together and stay mad at each other.’

“After our household grew in numbers, we discovered, too, that family prayers did not take the place of more intimate husband-and-wife prayers. Moreover, such prayers together were needed for our routine everyday lives, rather than just at the time when difficulties or disagreements arose. Peter always spoke of these prayers as ‘lubricants for the machinery of life.’

“That was a supremely accurate description. Thus we tried to have a few quiet moments together in our bedroom before breakfast. On those mornings when we gave our day into God’s hands and asked Him to bless it, we found that for each of us the whole day went more smoothly. There was a reassuring feeling of accomplishment at the end of it. When we omitted this brief prayer time together, things became snarled. We felt that we were battling uphill against terrific odds for meager accomplishment.”



H. Burke Peterson, “Adversity and Prayer,” Prayer. Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City, UT. 1978. P.106

a special shield

Our family consisted of our parents and six children. The three oldest were girls and three youngest were boys. My brothers and I shared the same bedroom. As we advanced in age we graduated from prayers at Mother’s knee to personal prayers at our bedside. Mother continued to supervise the process until she was certain we were sufficiently mature to handle it on our own. As we retired, we always had a consciousness of the nearness of Mother. She would stand outside our door until the right combination of sounds verified the fact that her sons had been on their knees to thank the Lord for his blessings of that day. If we were forgetful we would hear her voice, “Boys, have you said your prayers?” If we had remembered, then after prayers were completed and we jumped into bed, we would hear her footsteps going downstairs to complete her day’s activities.

Mother assumed the responsibility each morning of turning the backs of the chairs toward the table as a reminder to have family prayers before partaking of the first nourishment of the day. How we enjoyed hearing our father pour out his heart to the Lord asking for the protection of his family! It was as if a special shield had been placed around us by a father bearing the priesthood as we would embark on our daily activities at the beginning of each day.



L. Tom Perry, “Knowing and Accepting Answers to Prayer,” Prayer. Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City, UT. 1978. P.53