Family Home Evening Helps

When I was invited to give a talk in church about family home evening, I used my dad’s notebooks as a resource. You see, when I was a child, my dad took notes during our weekly family nights. While reading more than a decade of entries, I laughed and cried as long-forgotten memories flooded my mind. Thanks to my father’s foresight, I now have a treasury of family records. I’m pleased to say that I’ve continued the tradition with my own family.

We use a basic spiral notebook and an archival pen. With those simple supplies and a few abbreviations in mind, you can make the note taking easy. In our journal, the opening song and prayer, for instance, are abbreviated OS and OP. Then I write down the song title and who said the prayer. A few more ideas include MET (most exciting thing: family members share weekly highlights); L (lesson topic and comments); FSST (family scripture study time); and CS and CP for closing song and prayer.

I also leave space to jot down noteworthy items like current events and family milestones. The best thing about this tradition is that it will serve our family for years but only takes a few minutes each week. Imagine your children a decade from now, reliving your Monday nights through the pages of these simple family records.