Mamma Mia!

   Mamma Mia! Another week has gone by! And what a week it has been....Sunday was Mothers Day, and every day since has been crazy.  Hectic, even! Anyway, this week in my class we learned about the importance that culture has on families.  See, when I think of culture, I guess I think more along the lines of tradition, which is a part of culture, but not the defining aspect of it.  If that were the case, then American culture would not be what it is today.  Now, after learning different things in different classes, to me culture is the tradition, the clothing, the food, the mannerisms, etc. So how does culture affect the family?

   Well, that's simple, really.

   The way we grow up, what we learn, what we do as a family, what we eat, how we interact as a family and with other people; all these play a part into the family and culture.  For me, I've got two rather interesting heritages.  I'm both Italian and Scottish.  (Funny enough, those are both places I'd love to visit, but that's neither here nor there.) I love both those sides of my family.  Growing up, we didn't do much by way of surrounding ourselves with either culture.  I would've loved to have, but I think it was just based on where we lived.  Anyway, I'm rambling now.... :)
   Apart from the cultures we have within our own family (through ancestry), we become a part of a culture within our community.  For me, part of my growing up (and probably the most crucial part) happened in Utah.  So I've been surrounded by the Mormon Culture.  I've seen the good and the bad.  I've seen how it brings people closer to the Gospel, and how it can tear people away. A few months ago, I read an article titled, "4 Ways That We Can Fix Mormon Culture."  The author of that article brought up some really good points about what has happened with the culture and how those within the culture kind of have this "better than thou" attitude.  Which I've unfortunately seen.
   I want to end this post by sharing a quote by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, which says, "As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are united in our testimony of the restored gospel and our commitment to keep God’s commandments. But we are diverse in our cultural, social, and political preferences. The Church thrives when we take advantage of this diversity and encourage each other to develop and use our talents to lift and strengthen our fellow disciples."

Until next time :)
-Sarah