Wow, where do I begin? I have learned so much this week about my family, the relationships we have and where I am going in life. Kind of random, I know. But I promise it all fits together!

Let me start with this... I am in a Family Relations class and a Family Interactions class. I love them both and have had so much fun learning how to map and diagram family relationships on a peace of paper. This might sound silly and slightly boring to some, but I find it really intriguing to be able to see the relationship(s) that I have with an individual or my family at any give time. They are snapshots of a moment in time and sense I have been learning about these theories and maps in both classes, I have been able to get a pretty good basic understanding about them. As I have had the chance to learn how different family rules, events, boundaries, roles and past experiences effect the family I have started to try and help my family with the things that we need to work on in little ways. By seeing how different people interact with each other within the family unit, I am realizing why my sister does stuff I never really understood or why we as a family reacted to an event that had occurred when looking back, it may or may not have been the most logical way to respond to the situation. Or even more important in some cases, why an individual keeps doing the same thing over and over again when it didn't work the first 50 times. By seeing the subsystems in my family unit, I am better able to understand the why and how of our family. The best part is, I have realized that no family is normal and therefore, mine is.
     On a bigger picture, I am also learning about something called a Genogram. This is a similar map about the family, but it expands across generations. Both include the kinds of relationships held between individuals, but this one (if I understand it correctly) goes deeper to gain a better understanding of traits, events, patterns and relationships passed down through generations. This week in my Family Interactions class we are learning more about it... as I have read my textbook in preparation for class, I have decided that I really really want to make one. It will be cool to see what has been passed down through the years in my family history. Being able to see this information will help me to know what I want to change and keep in my future family.
     So that explains the first two points. On to the last.
     First off, I realized how much I want to be a family/ marriage therapist or councilor. I have way to much fun in my classes to not pursue this. I want to be able to help other families that are struggling and help them to hold on to the most important thing they have- family. And secondly, I think I want to serve a full time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I want to help save families, what better way then to show them that marriage is not just "until death do us part" but for eternity. It is not just a joy in this life, but the reason for the plan. I have been blessed with an eternal family right now and someday in the future, I will be blessed with another of my own. It would be so selfish of me to not take this chance to share that message with others so that they too can have the same joy as I have felt knowing that my family relationships will last into the next life and forever. When I get done with school, I will fight for the scantity of marriage and as I serve the Lord, I will share His grace, love, mercy and beautiful plan that is centered around families. I know this church is true, I know that He watches over me and those I love most in this world. He has blessed me with a gospel and truth that has lifted me up and helped me become who I am today. As I continue to progress and grow, I know that He will lead me and guide me. I am so grateful for the chance I have to share this with others so that they too may be blessed with that same assurance. :)