Holden's Blessing

Today was spent with family and friends as we celebrated Holden in our life and blessed him in church. We are truly grateful for our amazing family and friends who came to be with us and shared some laughter and good times.

It really is an amazing experience for us to be able to bless our children with the power of the priesthood. As a father, nothing has ever been more special in my life than to ponder the mission, life and future of my children and then give them a blessing accordingly. With both Teanna and Cole, I felt very strongly about what needed to be said and what blessings they needed.

With Holden though, I felt very nervous and scared about what the blessing would be. I couldn't figure out why - until I got up this morning and looked at examples in the scriptures where fathers blessed their children and I read an article from the Ensign that talked about it. I realized that for some reason, I had this desire to make Holden's blessing something amazing and different. It was almost that I wanted to be able to bless him with certain things that he didn't necessarily need. Once I realized that, I was able to relax, follow the Spirit and give him the blessing that Heavenly Father wanted to give him.

And I got the glimpse at Holden's mission and spirit, the same way I did with Teanna and Cole. It is an awe inspiring responsibility to hold an infant in your arms and realize that she or he is one of the great and noble ones; one of the spirits the Father has held in reserve specifically to live during these times. It is daunting to think of the challenges my children will face and the responsibility Jen and I have to raise them. But as I realized during the blessing today, it is also comforting to know that these spirits are on the earth for a special reason: to prepare for the second coming of the Son. I am excited to see the role that my children will play in that. And I hope that I can do what is necessary for my part to help them fulfill their missions on earth.

All in all, it was a wonderful day. I love my children. I cannot get enough of them. They are all amazing, enjoyable and I have been so blessed to have them and be their father.