Family relationships are the relationships that matter most. So what can we do when our family members live far away from us and from each other? How can we ensure that we stay emotionally and spiritually close, even when we are physically far apart? The Davies, featured in the latest Happy Families episode, have found a way that works for them. It might inspire you.
After watching the episode, some of you wondered where each of the Davies children were living and what they were up to. We asked Jake Davies, his parents’ oldest and only biological son, to give us an update.
Rachel, the oldest sibling, lives in California. She and her husband have eight children. Her oldest, Taylor, is only one year younger than her youngest sister, Natalie.
Jake and his wife live in California and have been married for two years. They met in their early 20s and married in their early 30s. They have a 1-year-old daughter and another child on the way.
Rachel and Jake’s younger sister and first sibling to be adopted, Jess, lives in California as well with her son Kai. Kristin was the second sibling to get married. She and her husband have two sons. Trevor lives in Idaho with his wife and son. Trevor’s wedding took place just one week after Jake’s.
Josh lives in Utah and will marry his fiancé next month. Natalie recently returned home from a year of school at Brigham Young University-Idaho and will leave to serve an LDS mission shortly after Josh’s wedding.
“Fun fact: Every married sibling was sealed to their spouse in the San Diego temple,” says Jake. “Josh will also be sealed there.”
How does such a big family stay connected over time and distance?
“While we don’t see each other as often as we would like, no one goes more than a few months without being with a family member at some point,” he explains. “Trying to get all 27 of us together at once is more of a challenge.”
So the Davies stay in touch by making occasional video and phone calls to each other. The most consistent family connection comes through the family’s group emails and group text messages, which are sent around weekly and produce lots of laughter.
How does your family stay connected? Any effort is better than none. We love Elder L. Tom Perry’s advice on the subject:
“Continue building lasting, loving relationships for all family members. Listen to one another, be united, work together, play together, pray together, study together. Live celestial principles together, serve the Lord together. Find those precious teaching moments with one another. Don’t let them slip through your fingers, but feed and nurture these special occasions. Never let golden opportunities go by in your relationships with your family members that will help build eternal principles.”
Share your ideas in the comments.