Last week I spent a ton of time with my parents, most of my siblings, and most of our descendants, including my married daughter who lives out of state. It was a glorious family reunion! We got to see a bunch of old family photos, including some I’ve never seen before. So I’ve definitely got family on my mind. Growing up in a family with both parents around all the time, and siblings, I’ve sometimes taken my family for granted.

A show I’ve finally dived into, even though it’s been around for a while, has helped me appreciate my family more. We’ve been watching Relative Race on BYUTV lately. Whenever the people find a relative, especially someone as close as a never-before found parent or sibling, I definitely feel a sweet, precious feeling. It’s the Holy Spirit witnessing to me that the family is sacred. This Spirit bears witness to me that the family comes from God, and it’s part of His plan for His children to be eternally happy. I wouldn’t want to be without my family, ever. I love that it has expanded in the past few years to include my son-in-law and grandbabies, who have been part of this recent reunion. It’s been soooo much fun to talk with my grandson, who’s 2. He actually converses with me and is so delightful! He says things like, “Can you help me?” and “I’m just a little guy.” Then the baby- he just turned 6 months and is so delicious, I love to slobber him with kisses and make him smile.

I love the video above with all the different activities for children to do to connect with their extended families, especially their ancestors. I plan on coming back to this video and doing these activities often as my grandchildren grow. I want to help them know where they come from and who their ancestors are.

Here’s a video below of the winners of Season 5 of Relative Race, that we just finished last Sunday. It was a privilege to watch their journey unfold as they found the relatives they were searching for. That moment when they ask a stranger, “Whose relative are you?” and then the person says, “I am your…(mother or father or sister or brother or cousin or aunt or uncle)” Wow, it’s just priceless!