Brother *****, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Master, and by the power and authority of the Melchizedek priesthood and my calling as an ordained patriarch, I lay my hands upon your head and give unto you your patriarchal blessing. *****, I bless you as a Son of God, that you will always be attentive to the teachings of the prophet and the words of the Savior. You will seek after goodness and righteousness all of your days. I bless you that you will be converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Holy Ghost will testify unto you that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of mankind. Because of your great faith and your understanding of the Savior, you will also know your eternal Father in Heaven. I bless you that you will live a life above reproach, staying close to the Lord so that you might hear the promptings of the still, small voice as you receive personal revelation and inspiration. You will react in a positive manner, doing things the Lord's way, never hesitating or arguing. As you do things promptly, you will stay out of harm's way.

I bless you with the great power of communication in the spoken and written word. You will have the blessing of being able to express yourself clearly and well, never at a loss for words and able to summarize your thoughts. You will be a direct man, kindly and caring for those within the reach of your voice. You will speak plainly and directly. You will accept the responsibilities that are yours, never hesitating to stand tall when you know you are responsible for certain acts. I bless you that you will always do things the Lord's way. It will make no difference whether you are by yourself in the quiet of the night or in a crowd of people on the brightest of days, you will always be the same. You will strive to keep the commandments, obeying the laws and ordinances of the gospel. You will teach and preach the gospel by the Spirit. You will not fear man but will teach the basic principles of the gospel and the plan of salvation plainly and directly.

Long before you came to earth you were true and faithful to your Heavenly Father and the Lord, obeying their commandments and always doing more than was expected of you. You were sent here to a family where you would have the opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and to be baptized. The veil from the preexistence to now will be very thin as your soul recalls the covenants you made with the Lord of the things you would do, were you sent here. I bless you that you will be energetically engaged in doing these things. I bless you, too, that you might recall promises made to friends who came to earth before you, that you would seek them out and do the necessary work in the house of the Lord so they might know eternal life and exaltation. You will truly be a savior on Mount Zion, a strong link in the ***** family, and will do your best to seek out your kindred dead. You will be perceptive and will see things others have missed. You will be responsible for the writing of a history of your family, which you will share with all. Your mind will be keen as you understand modern processes. Avenues will be opened to you, and you will be able to find things long since lost.

You were sent to earth with talents, skills, and attributes; and I bless you that you will have the wisdom and will power to seek these things out, nurture, and develop them. You will know your strengths and your weaknesses; and I bless you with the fortitude to make your weaknesses strengths. You are a member of the house of Israel by birthright and a member of the great and mighty tribe of Ephraim. Upon you rest the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, all of which can be yours as you stay worthy and true to the Lord. I bless you that you will be equal to the task of teaching and preaching the gospel. You will teach the gospel by the Spirit to young and old alike. To the proud and haughty, the meek and humble, your message will be the same. You will have a deep and lasting understanding of the redeeming sacrifice of the Lord, Jesus Christ and of the plan of salvation and will be able to share it in a kindly and gentle way.

*****, I bless you that you will be an emissary for the Lord as you take the gospel of Jesus Christ out into the world and teach it to God's children. As you do, your mind will be keen and your spirit bright. The light of Christ will shine through you, and your message will be received with gladness. Those you teach will feel of your spirit and will trust you, for they will know you have their best interests at heart. You will share the thrill of going into the waters of baptism and laying your hands upon their heads to confirm them members of the Lord's church. You will be their friends, always staying in touch, and they will love and respect you. You will have great responsibilities in the mission field because the Lord will call you to do much. You will be responsible for others and will be an instrument for good in the hands of the Lord. Many a missionary will go home at the end of an honorable mission because of his association with you. You will champion his cause and reassure him that the Lord loves him. You will always be a missionary at heart, sharing the gospel. People will be attracted to you, for you will love your neighbor as yourself and be able to pray for those who might spitefully use you. You will do unto your fellow man as you would want them to do unto you and will love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, might, mind, and soul.

The day will come when hands will be laid upon your head, the Melchizedek priesthood will be conferred upon you, and you will be ordained an elder. You will never be the same, for you will hold the priesthood of blessings. I bless you that you will exercise your priesthood worthily, staying true and faithful to the oath and covenant of the Melchizedek priesthood, honoring it, and doing the things the Lord inspires you to do and calls you to do through His representatives here on earth.

The day will also come when you will go to the house of the Lord, surrounded by those who love you. You will know of the love of your earthly parents and their joy in having you as one of their sons. Other members of the family will be there, and you will be surrounded by friends as you receive your endowment. You will feel the mighty spirit of the Lord as ordinances are performed and covenants are made. I bless you with the eternal and spiritual faith to keep the commitments you make within the house of the Lord. At an appropriate time, you will go to the house of the Lord with a worthy daughter of God, and there you will be sealed for time and all eternity. You will feel the eternal bond that exists between you and your mate and the great power that has sealed you. You will realize that you are now the head of an eternal family. I bless you as a husband and father, that you will preside in righteousness. You will be kindly and loving, always keeping yourself above reproach. I bless you that your power of communication will be particularly bright as you discuss with your mate the affairs of the family and home. You will be a good listener as the heart and soul of the family, your wife, provides thoughts and ideas. You will be accepting of her wisdom. Once the two of you make a discussion, I bless you that you will see it through to the end. You will always be able to keep your part of any agreement made between you and your eternal mate. I bless you that you will be a true and faithful husband and father. You will have control of your thoughts, words, and actions. I bless you with the strength to resist peer pressure and keep your feet firmly planted on the straight and narrow path that will lead you home to your Heavenly Father, where He might give unto you the greatest gift of all, eternal life.

*****, I bless you as a scholar, that your mind might be alert and attentive. You will seek out learning and will have a work ethic second to none. I bless you, as you study, that you will have great wisdom. You will know how to work hard and will have a flair for excellence. You will always put forth your best effort and will be conscious of the responsibilities that are yours. I bless you that you will not procrastinate eternal things. You will have a great appreciation for time and will not waste yours or another's. I bless you that you will be able to prioritize and do first things first. Your wife and other members of your family will know that only your Heavenly Father and the Lord come before them. As you go on to schools of higher learning, where things get more difficult, you will be blessed. You will have original thought and do things that make a difference in the lives of other people. I bless you that you will be meek and humble, but you will make something of yourself. You will have the power to make your dreams come true.

I bless you with a love of the scriptures and an understanding of them. You will be a master teacher, having the power to change the lives of others for good. I bless you with the strongest of testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ, of the prophet, Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and of the great plan of happiness. You will listen carefully to the words of the modern-day prophet, his counselors, and the Quorum of the Twelve. You will apply their teachings in your life, bringing them into your home and discussing them with your wife and children. Their teachings will become a part of you. I bless you that you will preside in righteousness in your home. You will be attentive to the small things: daily prayer with your family, scripture reading, family home evening, being a home teacher, and doing it the way the Lord meant it to be done. You will be a friend to all. I bless you particularly that you will have a great influence on those who might have wandered, tripped, and fallen. You will be able to put your arm around them and love them back into the church.

The Lord will call you to do many things in His name and to serve in His church. Grave responsibilities will be yours as you teach, preside, and follow. I bless you that you will always be able to follow the Lord and those who are placed in positions of authority. You will be fearless, but you will be kind, gentle, and understanding. The day will come when you will sit in judgment of others as a common judge in Israel. As you do, the mantle of the leadership will fall upon your shoulders; and you will preside in righteousness. As hard decisions have to be made, you will have the wisdom and spirit to weigh both sides of a story, to ponder things as they really are, and then to make decisions. This will not weigh heavily upon you, for you will make decisions in righteousness. You will not have to look back, for you will carry no baggage in life nor will you be anyone's scapegoat.

I bless you with the inner peace that comes to those who love the Lord and strive to do their best, no matter what the task might be. As you manage your time, you will be able to do the things to which you commit yourself. You will have the wisdom to know that you cannot do all things, but, once you commit to a task, it will be done. No one will have to prove your results because everything you do will be done with the Spirit and will be your best effort. I bless you that you will know eternal joy and have a great love of life, living it to its fullest. You will love the good things our Heavenly Father put here on earth: good literature, plays, and poetry. You will love the good music of the world, and the great symphonies will bring you joy. You will have a great love for the arts and sciences. You will be a prolific reader and channel your thoughts to the things that are worth your time. Before you take on a task, you will look upon its eternal perspective and how it is going to affect you in the eternal scheme of things.

The Lord will always expect much of you because He has blessed you mightily. I bless you that you will have the power to stay true and faithful to the commandments and do the things the Lord would like to see you do. As you put forth your best effort, hearken unto the words of the Lord, repent if you trip and fall, and endure well to the end, you will come forth as a faithful, wise, and just steward. You will enter into the glory of the Lord and inherit eternal life. You will come forth in the first resurrection clothed in glory, freed from the blood and sins of this generation, as a great leader of an eternal family, having done all that you were sent here to do. *****, this is your patriarchal blessing, given to you of the Lord, which I seal upon you in the holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen.