This is our journey as saints.

 This weekend, I was privileged to attend the blessing of my first grandson. 

Watching my son take baby Casey up and encircling that infant with his Grandpa, Great-Grandpa and close family friends was moving.

I thought of the Priesthood examples holding onto each other’s shoulders and all of the blessings and opportunities that will come as they keep their covenants and stand as worthy mentors for him.

I listened to the sacred words pronounced for him from his Heavenly Father and then watched his dad hand him to his mom who literally sustains him and in whose arms he feels the safest in the world. 

She was seated with her mom and my daughter and I thought of the many righteous women in his life also doing their best to follow Jesus Christ.  

Sister Bonnie D Parkin once spoke of her experience at witnessing her first grandaughter’s blessing.  

I’m slightly altering her words to speak of Casey instead of Jordan.  

“Casey was fortunate. He was born to his parents who were sealed in the temple under the new and everlasting covenant. Provided his parents remain true to this agreement, Casey will be beneficiary to those covenants by being in a home filled mostly with peace, love, protection, and understanding. Being born in the covenant is not the privilege of all members of the Church, but the blessings of the covenant will be made available to all who are worthy of them.

We hope little Casey’s life as a faithful Latter-day Saint will move from a baby receiving a priesthood blessing to a child of God receiving baptismal covenants, to a young priesthood holder keeping those first promises and preparing to be worthy and qualified to make and keep sacred covenants, to a man entering into temple covenants, to a husband being sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise, and finally to an exalted son returning home to our Heavenly Father’s open arms. This is our journey as Saints.”