Family Traditions

By Elder L. Tom Perry

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Did you know that Elder L. Tom Perry enjoys sports and often walks to his office in the Church Administration Building? He is very cheerful and greets people he meets with a smile and a hello. He has given us counsel about some traditions we should have in our homes:

Traditions … keep us close to the great heritage which is ours. …

Daily we should kneel in family prayer and study the scriptures together. Weekly we should observe the Sabbath day by attending our meetings, especially sacrament meeting, and behave appropriate to the activities that are proper for the Lord’s day. We should also gather our families together in weekly family home evenings. … Monthly we should fast and pay our tithes and offerings to the Lord. Semiannually, we should make listening to the messages delivered at general conferences a family tradition. We should organize, annually, family reunions to keep alive our great gospel heritage.

Other traditions which should continually be part of our lives are receiving father’s blessings, patriarchal blessings, missionary preparation, temple preparation, and regular temple attendance where possible, and being together as family units on those occasions when sacred ordinances are performed in behalf of a family member.

If we will build righteous traditions in our families, the light of the gospel can grow ever brighter in [our] lives. … We can look forward to that glorious day when we will all be united together as eternal family units to reap the everlasting joy promised by our Eternal Father for His righteous children.
(Ensign, May 1990, page 20.)

Illustrated by Dan Burr