2010
Guide to the Friend
January 2010

“Guide to the Friend,” Friend, Jan. 2010, 48

Guide to the Friend

Possible Ideas for Family Home Evening

  1. Read “Give Thanks for Everything” (pages 2–3), and discuss how Borghild Dahl was an example of gratitude before and after her sight was restored. Pass out crayons and paper and let each family member write one thing for which he or she is thankful in a corner of the paper. Then encourage everyone to try to draw what they named with a blindfold on. Remove the blindfolds to see how everybody did. Flip the paper over and draw the picture again, this time without the blindfold. Talk about how eternal perspective is different than sight and helps us to “see” our blessings more clearly.

  2. Read “Words that Build Up” (page 8) and complete the quiz on page 9. Make a goal to speak kindly to and about each family member for a week. (You can find tips for setting goals on page 13.) At your next family home evening, have each family member report on his or her experience trying to reach the goal.

  3. Turn to page 16 and read the poem “Precious Gifts.” As a family, decide how to show love for another family or individual you know. You could make and deliver cookies, send a card or letter, or simply make a visit.

  4. Read “The Candy Ball” (pages 44–45). Talk about what to do if you or someone else is choking. Demonstrate the universal distress signal for choking by holding the front of the neck with both hands. Encourage children to seek out parents’ help in any emergency situation. Explain the importance of prayer in knowing what to do in a crisis.