Latter-day Saint Life

It's F-A-M-I-L-Y Not P-E-R-F-E-C-T: My Struggle Living in a Non-Traditional Family in the Church

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What a beautiful thought from this article, "No family is spelled perfect. Christ himself had a different family set up and set of circumstances, and He cares about yours as well."

This echoes the sentiments in Elder D. Todd Christofferson's recent conference talk, "It should be noted that God Himself entrusted His Only Begotten Son to a foster father. . . To children whose family situation is troubled, we say, you yourself are no less for that. Challenges are at times an indication of the Lord’s trust in you. He can help you, directly and through others, to deal with what you face. You can become the generation, perhaps the first in your family, where the divine patterns that God has ordained for families truly take shape and bless all the generations after you."

My family tree is… complicated.  When people ask how many brothers and sisters I have I’m not sure how to respond: do I just say the brother and sister I grew up with, who strictly speaking are “half” siblings?  Do I include the two half-sisters I’ve only met once, 10 years ago?  Do I count the two half-brothers who I’ve never met or spoken to?

“A brother and sister,” I say, hoping my hesitation wasn’t too obvious. “Both younger.”

Being a member of a church which places such emphasis on families is really painful sometimes. Like, having to leave the room/building/location painful, and instead aiming for somewhere where I can cry, pour my grief and hurt into the heavens, and try to stop my blood booming in my ears and cheeks. I can understand teaching the ideal, to have a goal to aim for, but I also appreciate living with the realities.

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