The family is ordained of God. Families are eternal, and we each have a divine role to play in our own families. As children of God, each one of us has a divine destiny.

As we follow good examples and read the teachings of the prophets about marriage, we will learn and grow. We will be able to face difficulties, and we can work to grow together, not apart.

Our Savior Jesus Christ loves each of us. As we come unto him, we can feel his love for us and for all those around us.

Heavenly Father's love is perfect. He wants us to succeed. He wants us to return to him and to be like him. He wants us to know how special and how loved we are.

The week of Valentine’s is the perfect opportunity to strive to have charity and show our love to those around us. It’s an opportunity, as the Savior taught, to “love one another,” as he also loved us.

Nephi experienced everything that Laman and Lemuel had to endure. And yet, he was able to grow spiritually as he was faithful and clung to his knowledge of a loving God. Like Nephi, if we seek truth, we will find it.

As we remember Esther, let’s remember her faith, her courage, and her willingness to do hard things. Let’s remember Mordecai’s counsel when we face difficult choices “who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

As Elder Holland reminded us, "Let us not burden our remembrance with a heaviness that's gone."

As we liken the scriptures to ourselves, we can find comfort and peace in our troubles and trials. We cannot choose which of these we face; only how we respond to them.

How often do we let negative experiences color our perceptions? Are we giving others who have offended us the same allowance we would want in their place? We must reach out to those who have been forgotten.