AGE, TRADITIONS, and ALMS

Casting from Las Vegas today, the Eyres finish a discussion they started last episode about the 3-letter lesson ALM referring to the acts of mercy and compassion that Jesus called alms. An act of service or lifting is called an "almdeed" in the New Testament. They then juxtaposition that word with the 3-letter lesson WIN which is a blessing when we make it a win-win, and a curse when we make it a win-lose.

As the Eyres celebrate Richard's 80th birthday, their minds are on memories, traditions, and the coming holiday season. So instead of getting to their three-letter lesson of ALM, they merely introduce it for next week and spend the podcast talking about how family traditions are the glue that holds families together, and discussing how traditions actually ripen and grow with age.

On today's episode, Richard and Linda cast from Jackson Hole where they have spent the week with all nine of their children celebrating Richard's BIG birthday. As the party breaks up, they sit down with Saren to discuss her work with family and parent coaching and her extensive website PowerofFamilies.com.

On this episode, Linda and Richard, in the midst of gathering with all of their children for Richard's birthday, reflect on how much parenting, particularly mothering, has changed. 30 years ago, when Joy School was at its peak, being a "stay at home mom" was the norm in many places. Was that the best way? Or with technology and working remotely can moms do as much for their kids today but in a very different way?

(Re-run from 12/11/2021) The Eyre's are in New York City today, and start the show with some of the reasons they love the city and their long history there. Then Richard and Linda start a new mini-series for Eyre's on the Road called Three Letter Lessons--short words that symbolize a principle or attitude or behavior we should adopt. "Eye" is about seeing people spiritually rather than physically--looking at people's eyes and using your own eye as a shutter to take an empathy picture.

On today's episode, Richard and Linda are joined by their son Eli for a discussion of the power and value of friendships. They share a family discussion they recently had about talking to our children about how to be a good friend, and they refer to a YouTube video featuring Trevor Noah and Simon Sinec that you can watch at https://youtu.be/CNBxIhxHHxM.

This week's 3-Letter Lesson is a warning and a caution--about how Taking For Granted (TFG) can undermine our happiness, eliminate our wonder and awe, and sedate us into missing out on all the little and big joys that life offers us. Richard and Linda explore why our minds default so often to a sense of entitlement or of taking things for granted instead of to the antidote of gratitude, awareness, and praise.

After 12 episodes exploring a "new lens" for viewing Church and family, the Eyres get back to their ongoing series on "3-Letter Lessons"--little word-pegs that remind us of perspectives and attitudes we want to embrace. Today the word is AGE, and Richard and Linda advocate that age and its wisdom and perspective should be valued, respected, tapped-into, and even cherished-- much more so than it is in western society today.

(Re-run from 10/30/2020) Lincoln said "Sometimes I am driven to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I have no place else to go." As parents, we often feel this same feeling. Parenting is hard, children are complicated, the world is dangerous and confusing, particularly in this pandemic--and we are driven to our knees because we have nowhere else to go. And this can be a GOOD THING, because an earthly parent praying to a Heavenly Parent about a child that they share can create some of the most fervent, effectual prayers ever uttered. And it can generate answers that we would never find anywhere else. On today's show, the Eyres talk about parental prayer and how we can all make it a more important part of our lives.

The Eyres are in New York City for the US Open Tennis tournament (and a little Broadway) and use the first part of this episode to think about their 60-year love affair with the City. They then move on to discuss the final installment of the 12-essay series on Familycentricity which focuses on Christ and how He is both the End, the Means, and the Joy of our lives. To see the full article go to latterdaysaintsmag.com.