As we start the new year, my feelings run deep with regards to creating habits that will last not only for the next year, but for a lifetime.  As I look at my three sons, and wonder how they will turn out, all I can hope and pray for is that I have instilled, as a father, good habits that will guide them through their lives.  As you know, we are all creatures of habit.  One night I was sitting with my boys, brushing our teeth, and I asked them what would happen if we stopped brushing our teeth. They all said, "Oooh dad, gross!" (laughing).  The same thing can happen to our spirits if we don’t have the habit of praying everyday and night.  Our spirits become decayed, and “gross.”  Our souls crave knowledge and light from God.  The light comes as we pray, and the knowledge comes as we study the scriptures.  Then I asked them, what if we brushed our teeth and didn’t have the habit of flossing, and they again began to be graphically detailed with me as to what would result.  I said that is what happens when we pray, but don’t study the scriptures on a daily basis. 

As we plan for new year’s resolutions, I feel we need to be thinking about what habits we should incorporate in our lives, as well as in the lives our children.  Someday we won’t be there for them, we will be gone.  What will help bring them closer to the spirit and guide them through life? - Habits.  The habits that we teach our children today.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year – one that is full of growth, peace, and joy.  May God bless you.

Jay Osmond