Children are entitled to...

Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity.  (The Family: A Proclamation to the World)

I cried when I read the comment a friend of mine, a mother that works in our Elementary school, wrote on my Facebook post yesterday.

She said, 

I had a dream last night. A young man from my past appeared. He used to live next door to us...I always worried about him. He didn't have a lot of love, guidance, support, encouragement ....or winter clothes. We tried to provide for those missing necessities. Eventually he moved away with his family, I wonder about him occasionally. 

Last night he reappeared in a dream,  walking past my house to school, rubbing his arm  against the cold...he stopped in and asked for a sandwich for lunch. I packed him a healthy lunch, talked to him about how important  it is to eat healthy! He took the lunch, kissed my cheek and said thanks mom! 

In my mind I knew he just wanted to know what it felt like to say and do that...it was missing in his life. 

So many kids are missing that basic feeling of being loved and feeling secure. 

I agree with your message Jenifer, caring for and being responsible for OUR children in the world is an area we can more certainly do better. Thank you for your insightful post.

What a beautiful dream!

This is my dream too!

Let us love our children.

Let us be mothers and fathers for ours and theirs.

God will help us help them, in small ways.

This is our greatest work,

There is a beautiful story in The Book of Mormon.  After Christ ascended into Heaven following his resurrection in Jerusalem, He visited His "other sheep" on the American continent.  

6 And he said unto them: Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you. 

7 Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy. 

8 For I perceive that ye desire that I should show unto you what I have done unto your brethren at Jerusalem, for I see that your faith is sufficient that I should heal you. 

9 And it came to pass that when he had thus spoken, all the multitude, with one accord, did go forth with their sick and their afflicted, and their lame, and with their blind, and with their dumb, and with all them that were afflicted in any manner; and he did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him. 

10 And they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet, and did worship him; and as many as could come for the multitude did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tears. 

11 And it came to pass that he commanded that their little children should be brought. 

12 So they brought their little children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst; and the multitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him. 

13 And it came to pass that when they had all been brought, and Jesus stood in the midst, he commanded the multitude that they should kneel down upon the ground. 

14 And it came to pass that when they had knelt upon the ground, Jesus groaned within himself, and said: Father, I am troubled because of the wickedness of the people of the house of Israel. 

15 And when he had said these words, he himself also knelt upon the earth; and behold he prayed unto the Father, and the things which he prayed cannot be written, and the multitude did bear record who heard him. 

16 And after this manner do they bear record: The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father; 

17 And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father. 

18 And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome. 

19 And it came to pass that Jesus spake unto them, and bade them arise. 

20 And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full. 

21 And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them. 

22 And when he had done this he wept again; 

23 And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones. 

24 And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them. 

(Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi, 3 Nephi 17)

Today, angels both seen and unseen still minister to our children.

May God bless us to be mothers and fathers, there is no greater work.

I know it.