Below are links to two incredible General Conference talks about Patriarchs and Patriarchal Blessings. After re-reading them this morning, I feel that anything I might say would pale in comparison to what they taught. So I will instead simply share a personal story and bear my testimony.
My father was called as a Stake Patriarch as I was entering High School. There were five of us children still living at home and things were not always peaceful and happy there. The evening that Dad and Mom returned from their appointment with Elder Boyd K. Packer, my parents invited us into the living room and told us where they had been and why. Then Dad said to us that he could not accept the call to serve unless we as his children could remove the contention from our home. He explained that in order for him to have the Spirit with him as he would need, we must do our part to not only Not drive the Spirit away with our arguing, but that we must also Do those things that would invite the Spirit to be in our home. I don't think my youngest two siblings really comprehended what the significance of the request or his new call was, but me and my older sisters certainly did. There was a change in our home from that point on.
My oldest sister became Dad's first scribe. He would record his blessings on a pocket tape recorder and then with a headset and typewriter, she would transcribe the words. Dad would then laboriously listen to the tape and compare it to what my sister had typed. He would then make any corrections and she would type the final copy. As my typing skills improved and my older sisters married and moved away, I became his scribe. It was a very unique and precious assignment - one that I cherish. I was always amazed at how powerfully I could feel the Spirit each time I sat and transcribed a blessing. I knew without a doubt that it wasn't my father who was guiding those statements, but rather it was the Lord guiding my father to say the words for each individual person.
My own Patriarchal Blessing is a precious gift to me from not only my Father in Heaven, but also my Dad as he place his hands on my head and pronounced that blessing. That was 36 years ago and still I am seeing the fulfillment of those blessings in my life. How grateful I am for a loving Heavenly Father, who has provided me with my personal guide, my personal scripture, and as President Monson taught, my personal Liahona.
Sisters, if you have yet to receive your Patriarchal Blessing, I would encourage you to speak with your Bishop/Branch President and learn what you need to do to prepare for that event. It is a gift worth seeking.
You Have a Noble Birthright, Julie B. Beck, April 2006
Your Patriarchal Blessing: A Liahona of Light, Thomas S. Monson, October 1986
-Lorie Pierce
