A new school year is upon us.

In our house, this will be the last time all of our kids go back to school together. As hard as it is to believe, Levi is a senior.

These last 12 years have gone by incredibly fast. In 2010 when Levi began kindergarten, 2023 felt like an eternity away. Well here we are. Keri and I both have made a commitment to being very present and intentional this year. We realize that very likely this will be the last time we do all the things as a family of 6

School began on Monday. As has become tradition in our house, we congregated in our living room around 630 Sunday evening and discussed the upcoming school year. We asked each of the boys what they wanted to accomplish this year and what their main concerns were for school. I then exercise my power and authority as the Priesthood holder in my household and gave all of our boys Priesthood Blessings.

This is an incredible way to show the boys I love and care for them. It’s also a really good way to keep me accountable to myself to live a Christlike life so we can have the full presence of the Holy Ghost during those blessings.

The blessings themselves are sacred to our home and family, so I won’t divulge their content. I will say, however, that the boys and Keri and I feel relief and strength going into the school year knowing that they have had blessings. Keri even asked for a blessing for herself to manage and balance her time accordingly this year.

Having the Priesthood is unique to our church. I’m so thankful for the Gospel and the ability to have the Priesthood here on Earth and in my home. It takes a lot of work and sacrifice to be a worthy Priesthood holder, but I promise it is all worth it!