Making Family Home Evening Glow

As busy parents of five children, we wanted to make family home evening special. My husband and I decided to organize a candlelight dinner.

First, we sent our older children on a search for candles around our home, and they returned with taper candles, scented candles, birthday candles, and more. Later at dinner, after dishing up everyone’s plate and filling the water glasses, we lit several candles in the middle of our dining room table and turned off the lights. Through the candlelight, we noticed our children’s faces glowing as a seven-year-old, a five-year-old, a three-year-old, a two-year-old, and a baby all dined by candlelight together. The dimmed lights stilled our busy home, and the soft glow quieted our hectic lives.

As we asked a blessing on our dinner, we truly felt the Holy Spirit with us. The children spoke in hushed tones and remembered their manners as if they were seated in a fancy restaurant. Before we even cleared the dishes, the children were begging to “eat with candles tomorrow.” Our decision to reserve these special candlelight dinners for family home evenings was rewarded with cheers of excitement.

Now our children look forward to Monday nights with great anticipation as we enjoy our candlelight meal together. The wonderful atmosphere around our table carries over into our family home evening and enlivens lessons, songs, prayers, and treats.—Kathy L. Wilde, Shelley Eighth Ward, Shelley Idaho Stake

Illustrated by Beth M. Whittaker