Eyres On The Road

Some would say that the title of today's show is an oxymoron. How does ageing fit with joy? In this episode, Richard and Linda discuss viewing life as "seasons" and finding the unique joy in fall as well as spring and summer. In all of eternity, we experience growing older only once, and we should relish and learn from it all, even the hard parts. Joined late in the show by their daughter Shawni (71toes.com) the eyres laugh a lot about a usually not so humerus topic.

As the Eyre's have discussed over the past 5 weeks, Joy is a deeper and fuller and more spiritual word than happiness. On today's show, Richard and Linda talk about the joy that can come in times of extreme sorrow and suggest that it is all hinged to belief in a literally Parental God, one God who is two--a Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Mother; and that this belief opens up connected beliefs in a premortal life, in a Plan of Salvation, and in the literal siblinghood of all people.

In today's episode, the Eyre's expand on their recent theme of JOY by explaining that the very things we often think will bring us happiness--Control, Ownership, and Independence--actually suck joy away from us. They then suggest three alternative "rescuers" to replace the robbers with. First, replace the paradigm of Control with Serendipity, Second, replace Ownership with Stewardship. And third, replace Independence with Synergicity.

In this ongoing series on Joy, particularly joy in families, Linda and Richard talk personally in today's episode about how many kinds of joy there are and how many things in our lives can have an element of joy within them if we are looking for it. They talk about the joy of gratitude, of generosity, of nature, of slowing down and feeling the flow, of deep communication, of imagination and creativity, and of course, of family relationships.

The first book Richard ever wrote was called "The Discovery of Joy" and the current book that he and Linda are working on is called "The Parental God." The tie between those two books is the subject of this episode of Eyres on the Road. Richard and Linda outline Joy's four levels, the highest of which involves faith in a Parental God, made up of a Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother--and their unconditional love and our "siblinghood" with all other people.

Continuing on their mini-series of JOY, Richard and Linda focus today on how we can give and receive joy to and from children. They begin with one of their family maxims, "Joy is the purpose of life and a choice you make." Helping children to feel certain kinds of joy is the best way to help them repeat positive behaviors, and the "case study method" or role playing is one of the most effective ways to teach joy.

Today, the Eyres begin a new podcast mini-series on JOY. Ever since their first book, called The Discovery of Joy, and through their national best-seller Teaching Children Joy and the worldwide Joy Schools that spun off from that book, Richard and Linda have centered much of their writing and speaking on this wonderful three letter word.

This week, the Eyres return to the "stories" format and tell some experiences of what music can do for a family, of music lessons for kids, and of creating a calm atmosphere in a home through music. Linda is an accomplished violinist and holds a music degree while Richard is a novice at best, but they share stories of using music in their own home and give a few suggestions for parents and grandparents in making music a part of children's lives.

On Today's show, the Eyres talk first about the FAMILY.IS social media awards, which recognize the best family and parenting centered Instagram, Facebook, Podcast, YouTube, Blog and Websites, and invite all BYUradio listeners to vote for their favorite social media influencers at https://awards.family.is/2021. Then Richard and Linda turn to the concerns parents have about Pandemic Stressed kids of and offer ideas about showing empathy rather than worrying about permanent mental illness.

On this episode, the Eyres talk about an article from the Institute for Family Studies and a book by Joseph Henrich on how the medieval Christian Church snuffed out practices like cousin marriage and polygamy and changed society from extended kinship tribes into a society of nuclear families which create responsibility and community and promote economic well being. But the main blessing of monogamy, the Eyres say, is the intimate, oneness relationship that can only come in committed marriage.

Today Richard and Linda start with Family History and what they are doing to honor "Grandpa Dean" who would have turned 100 this year, and how a family's history and founders can influence children today. Then, the Eyres get into what goes into any institution that lasts and endures--traditions, rituals, mottos, laws and standards, mission statements--and how we can make our families unified and permanent by using these same approaches and methods.

On today's show, Richard and Linda, still in Hawaii, tell some family stories about how the islands became a part of their family narrative. The year they build a "nipa hut" from bamboo to try to teach their children hard work and to replicate how much of the world lives, the Christmases spent there, and how two of their children attended college on Oahu. But the main theme of this episode is the importance of creating family memories that endure.

The Eyres worry out loud in today's episode about the growing trend toward cohabitation in place of traditional marriage. Studies show that marriage relationships produce more satisfaction, more fulfillment, and have a significantly greater chance of permanence than cohabitation relationships. As you listen to today's program, ponder how you can increase the power of commitment in your marriage.

On this episode, the Eyres talk about their newest book and how to get it for free on line. Opening the Door to Family Revelation is a guide for parents to seek and find Divine help in raising their children, and Richard and Linda decided to forgo the usual publishing process and simply make it immediately available for free to all parents everywhere. They discuss why the wrote it and how they came to co-author it with their daughter Saydi.

Today on the show, Richard and Linda talk about spiritual stories related to the family--about prayers for children, prayers about family decisions like when to have a baby, prayers about helping children with decisions or with problems. A prayer from an earthly parent to a heavenly parent is a beautifully direct kind of spiritual experience, and our family-related spiritual stories are some of the most important stories in our lives.

Polls show that while only about 40% of Americans refer to themselves as "Religious", upwards of 80% call themselves "Spiritual." In essence a spiritual person is one who believes in something higher that he or she can connect with. On today's podcast, the Eyres talk about spiritual encounters of the common kind and tell "spiritual stories" of their own, concluding that, for them, the deepest spiritual connections involve Christ and center around family relationships.

On today's show, Richard and Linda tell us some stories about personal encounters they have had...at the White House, and with Oprah, Kathy Lee Gifford, and others and how people of real character, even though in the glare of the public eye, manage to maintain strong internal values and family priorities. The bottom line is that whether a person is famous and wealthy or common and unknown, what really matters is his or her family relationships and values.

For many weeks now, the Eyres have been telling personal stories about various aspects of their lives--people they have met, places they have gone, experiences they have had--always related to family, to marriage, to parenting, to grandparenting. But this week they tell a different kind of stories--stories of opposition, of hardship, of tragedy, of fear, of sadness. What did Shakespeare mean when he said ""Sweet are the uses of Adversity?"

The Eyres are casting from Maui today where they are spending time with their two sons who live there and working on some writing projects. This episode is a continuation of the "Prophet Stories" that they began on last week's show--personal stories about interactions they have experienced with spiritual leaders and what they learned about families and relationships from those encounters. The focus today is on Spencer W. Kimball and Gordon B. Hinckley.

After bidding goodbye to 2020 and welcoming the fresh start of 2021, Richard and Linda tell some personal stories about interactions with modern day Prophets. Richard indicates that when he is asked who his heroes are, instead of sports stars or business tycoons, he thinks of holy men of God. Linda agrees that it is spiritual qualities that she admires most. Then the Eyres begin to tell stories of how living Prophets have guided and influenced their lives in very intimate and personal ways.