To Have or Have Not: Children

Ashley’s mom once said an interesting thing.
They were trying to make arrangements for their children if something should happen to them. They went through everyone they knew --grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles on both sides of the family, and there was no one they trusted to rear their children.
Then this thought occurred to her: This must be how Heavenly Father feels. He wants to send his children to the very best homes, where they will have the gospel and be reared in love and righteousness, but they are so few and hard to find.

Brigham Young said,
“I have told you many times that there are multitudes of pure and holy spirits waiting to take tabernacles. Now what is our duty? –to prepare tabernacles for them. To take a course that will not tend to drive these spirits into the families of the wicked, where they will be trained in wickedness.”

I didn’t know all this when I decided to have eight children.
But I did grow up when President David O. McKay was Prophet.
He had a no-excuses attitude about having children.

During some really hard times, I was praying for some blessings. What I got was pregnant again. At first I was upset; the last thing I needed at that time was another baby.
But as I thought about it, I realized that the greatest blessing, the most precious gift Heavenly Father could give me was one of his children. To me it was a sign of His love and trust.

When I realized I was pregnant with my eighth child in ten years,
I threw myself on my bed and sobbed. This lasted only a few minutes when a peace washed over me, and the thought that came into my mind was, “It will be okay.” And it was.
That baby was Angela. Anyone who knows how I feel about Angela, and about Jennifer and Benjamin and Elizabeth and David and Jonathan and Kathryn and Nathan, will know that it was worth it to have eight children.

I never had any idea or feeling or dream of how many children I would have. I always said, Just one at a time.
It added up quickly.

When I think how blessed I have been in my life, and I wonder how I can ever pay Heavenly Father back for all He’s done, I feel that I have paid part of that debt by being willing to provide tabernacles for His children, and by trying to raise them in righteousness.

But then He helped me along the way, and gave me really good kids, making me even more indebted to Him. I hope my children will continue to pay on that debt.

Within the sacred walls of the Temple, where our eternal family began, I’ve come to understand that “Man is, that he might have joy,” and that Joy is found in posterity.