Well, If I Had Known…
This article was previously published on Happy Meets Crazy I read an article recently about a mother who was shamed over social media. The summary is that she was photographed, without her knowledge, in an airport, while her baby rested on a blanket on the floor, and...
A Beautiful Confirmation
One the most beautiful things about being an adoptive parent is that God occasionally gives me these moments of confirmation where I know that I am supposed to be their mother. These feelings that touch from one end of eternity to another, where I can feel the hand...
Needing Walls
Children need Walls. Adults need Walls. I need a Wall. Everybody needs a Wall. A "Wall" meaning a person who stands emotionally stable and does not budge. One with integrity and enough love to stand firm and give back positive support. One whom we can bump into when...
Replace Fear with Faith
As I’m writing this, part of the United States is cleaning up after three monster hurricanes, another part is assessing the damage of huge forest fires, and yet another area has been experiencing swarms of unsettling earthquakes. Aside from natural disasters, we’ve...
What I Learned Being Thrown out of Church
This article was previously published on Patheos.com Several years ago a woman I never got along with was asked to lead the women’s organization (Relief Society) in my church congregation (Ward). She was a former high school teacher who had ‘school marm’ written all...
When Satan Tried to Kill Adam and Eve
Have you ever wondered what happened to Adam and Eve when they left the Garden of Eden? We know they toiled by the sweat of their brow. But have you ever thought about what they had to do survive? Consider how Satan hoped to thwart God's plan by enticing Adam...
Mission Half-Time
52 weeks down, 52 weeks to go! Our Elder is now halfway through his mission, and he has changed so much! Okay, not exactly changed, more like someone took the very best parts of him and boiled off all of the excesses. Our missionary is now a more concentrated...
General Conference- a gift
In the recent General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Robert D. Hales said: “The greatest blessings of General Conference come to us after the conference is over.” I have found that to be true in my life. Pondering the messages...
Becoming our Best
Yes, it is that wonderful time of year again. When I get to summarize 9 months of stress, sweat, and sometimes tears into a few summary paragraphs of self-promotion somehow mixed with honesty. The wonderful product called a self-assessment. Personally, I struggle...
Faith Fights Fear
When I think of fear, I see the “cliffs of insanity” talked of in “The Princess Bride” I am to climb. I felt great fear being chased by a mad rooster as a teen. I feel fear and anxiety when I think of my single life after losing my husband to death. I felt fear when...
Daniel- Prophet of God
I loved to listen to my father tell us scripture stories. He had a knack for making words on a page transform into images and situations and drama and faith. For some reason, one of my favorite stories was that of Daniel and his interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s...
Murderers in their Hearts
I've been thinking a lot about Laman and Lemuel and the catalyst/catalysts that launched them from regular older brothers to "murderers in their hearts." As I read Nephi's account of killing Laban again, I looked at the aftermath in a new way. How did Nephi...
Solving the Rubik’s Cube of Life
When I was younger, I loved my Rubik’s Cube! I was great at mixing up the colored squares. Sometimes I could even get a line or two of one color back after much twisting and turning of the cube. However, by the end of my fascination with the Rubik’s Cube, it sat on a...
Our Unfinished Wars
Before I start, I want to clearly state that I write this as a private citizen and a student of history. In writing this, I did all my research on the internet and I do not represent any organization or company. I challenge you and obligate you to do your own...
The Myth of the Soul Mate: Part 4- Effort and Preparation
We've thrown away the unrealistic soul mate lists, so now we are ready to learn how to stop using the soul mate myth to halt effort and preparation! “I don’t need to prepare for it, think about it, or date because a soul mate will know me and love me without me...
Yielding Our Hearts unto Christ
After listening to the messages of the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a few weekends ago, one of those messages from Jean B. Bingham really struck a chord with me. Please take some time to watch it if you haven't yet. Here is a...
What’s Your Favorite Video?
A question. When was the last Internet video you watched? My guess is you responded today or possibly yesterday. I asked my 88-year-old mother the same question. She said, "Five minutes ago." The point? Videos are becoming prolific, ubiquitous, and powerful....
Happiness, Choices, and Agency
Happiness is not dependent on the approval of others. It took me a lifetime to learn that. I don’t know why it was hard for me, but for whatever reason, that seemed to be one of the hardest things in my life to learn. As most children, I wanted my parents to...
Thanksgiving and Christmas Unite!
Motherhood has been kicking my butt lately. I wanted this 'job' of mothering so badly that I worked for years to get here. And now I need sleep. I used to think that my parents were going gray because they were getting old. But I really think it has something to...
The Disciple Who Challenged Us to Be Disciples
In 1993, while serving in the Scotland Edinburgh Mission Office, I met Sister Mary Hales. She and her husband Robert D. Hales, Presiding Bishop of the Church at the time, were visiting an eastern bloc country when Bishop Hales experienced heart trauma and flew to...