Mormon Bloggers

Cicero of Rome  (106 B.C.–43 B.C.) I was reading the Harvard Classics (which I dearly love and confesses my nerd-ness).  Cicero was quoting another great mind of the same era named Laelius. Laelius’s dearest friend of all time had just died unexpectedly.  His friends inquired after him to see how he was faring – which started a discussion about the philosophy of death and grief.  Laelius said something that parallels Mormon thought and attitude towards death more so than any other modern group I know. “Affected of course I am by the loss of a friend as I think there will never be again, such as I can fearlessly say there never was before. But I stand in no need of medicine. I can find my own consolation, and it consists chiefly in my being free from the mistaken notion which generally causes pain at the departure of friends.” “To Scipio I am convinced no evil has befallen: mine is the disaster, if disaster there be; and to be... Read the rest of this entry »

Life is short.  Especially for some.  My mom died at 61, barely.  If I live to be as old as my mom, I’ve got 15 years left.  I’ve lived in my current house for 15 years, and I just got here.  I don’t even think I’ve fully unpacked.  Fifteen years is a blink unless you are in prison or in pain.  Fifteen years ago was yesterday only I didn’t have as many wrinkles and I was smarter or at least I thought I was.  Fifteen years into the future is tomorrow.  What have I done?  I’ve thought about writing books, I’ve thought about making scrapbooks for my kids, I’ve thought about getting organized I’ve thought about getting in shape, I’ve thought about what I want to be when I grow up, At this rate, what I be when I grow up will be dead. I’ve thought about doing something meaningful with my life, leaving some kind of mark besides Hershey Kisses wrappers and a pile of clothes that need... Read the rest of this entry »

Thursday afternoon, I received a phone call everyone hopes never to get; a fellow dance classmate of my daughter was killed under tragic circumstances. The dance class is a small, chummy group of girls, several who have been dancing together for the last 3-4 years. They are a fairly close-knit bunch. Of course I was horrified and shocked, stunned, grief-stricken–just what you’d expect to feel, but throughout it all was the feeling of disbelief. This simply could not be real. A fellow mother and I drove to the school to pick up our girls, who carpool to dance class, together. This mother is also LDS, so we share the same beliefs about life after death. Breaking the news to our daughters was very difficult; the extraordinary manner of her death made the telling of it that much worse to share. Today we attended the funeral, and it was truly a beautiful service, conducted by our young friend’s own Orthodox Christian church; I saw several friends and neighbors, and we... Read the rest of this entry »

~by Michelle You know how sometimes you read a comment that leads you to a blog that leads to another blog? That’s what happened to me last night, and I found this post: Hard Times Don’t Last Forever I only had a few minutes to peruse their blog, but it’s clear this young couple has been through a lot. (The young husband had a stroke in 2008.) But in this post, the author (the wife, Summer) wasn’t writing about their own trials, but about the tragic losses she witnessed another family go through, including an unexpected death. Have you ever witnessed something like that and asked, “Why does God let bad things happen?” Summer shares some of her thoughts as she wrestled with some of these questions. My heart aches for the families involved in these situations. Why would anyone be asked to go through this? Is God punishing them or teaching them a lesson? The answers for me have come as I read the scriptures and prayed to the Lord asking him why.  Death... Read the rest of this entry »

Chris Yokoyama [known by his friends as "Beans"] was with two of his friends when their car crashed and Chris died. Darren Haslam, 18, was driving the car and escaped mostly unharmed. The other passenger, Christopher Evanson, 18, received a severe head injury and was in a coma. “When Chris Yokoyama died, it was really tough for me,” says Darren. “It was tough that I had nothing wrong with me, just a fractured elbow, and they—one was in critical condition just trying to survive and one had passed away.” ~from “He Wanted to be a Missionary“~ This story is one of tragedy, but also one of faith and of how an understanding of God’s plan of happiness is an anchor in our lives to help us through trials and pain. Read about how seminary (an LDS Church scriptural education program for youth) helped all the youth who were affected by this tragedy — both Mormon youth and also many of their friends not of our faith. “A lot of these kids were lost,”... Read the rest of this entry »

My parents visited in November and brought this box. They unloaded pies, pears, apples, oranges, Cool Whip, a Christmas poinsettia and a resurgence of much-needed hope for the winter months. They returned home to Missouri and left their box. I know my mom must miss it. It’s large. It’s sturdy. And it has handles. I [...] All Content Copyright (C) 2007-2009 TJ Hirst. No content may be reproduced without the copyright owner’s express written consent.The Giving Box  Read More →

Watch a touching YouTube video sharing Truman G. Madsen’s last testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ. This video also appears on the Deseret Book website with the following caption: Watch the Conference Special “The Holy Land: An Easter Walk with Truman Madsen” that aired Sunday 4/3 during general conference. This Easter tribute to Truman includes interviews from his wife and children, Steven R. Covey, Sheri Dew, and Steve Young.  Read More →

Thanks to Erika for sharing this poem (you can find it also on her blog, Musings of a Mother in Zion — the painting you see on her blog is one she created around the same time.) She writes this about what motivated her to paint and write: “I wrote this last year for a sister in law, who’s father passed away. The words came, I felt I was just the holder of the pen. Within the week, I found out that my other sister-in-law had a painful miscarriage at 16 weeks. As I was praying to know how I could help her, I knew that the poem already had.” The Sun Will Rise In this life we have rare glimpses of Heaven the touch of a hand as we say good bye An answer that seals Forever A baby’s first cry the shadow of a baby that never cried Each one a glimpse The Heavenly Father that loves The Son that gives all Each brings a family closer To one another and our Eternity As I thought of what you might be going through I wished that I could think of something to say that would... Read the rest of this entry »

This is a powerful video about Chris Williams who lost his wife, an unborn child, an 11-year-old son and a 9-year-old daughter in a car accident. They were killed by a drunk driver. Chris talks about the power of prayer, of brotherly love, of letting go of anger and forgiving. He beautifully expresses how God has listened to his prayers, and how choosing not to direct anger and grief at the person who caused the pain has made all the difference…how letting the Savior take that pain has allowed the Savior’s healing power and love to flow to him as well as to the young driver and his family. One of the family’s church leaders says, “There is Jesus’ way to resolve problems, to address situations, to handle sorrow, and then there is some other way.” This leader felt that Chris made the decision long ago to turn to the Savior in hard times, so that when this heartwrenching experience came, he was able to make that choice, even in the moment of the accident,... Read the rest of this entry »

Essential Questions All of us are effected by cancer, whether by personal experience with it, or by a friend or loved one who’s been through it. The more I speak to or hear from victims of cancer, the more I’m convinced that cancer is not a matter of death, but a matter of life. Those who suffer with it find more meaning in life, more gratitude for life, and more love of life. One of my duties at my job is to record speeches held, and in this one, a man with a severe case of cancer was invited to speak. The man is a friend of mine, and I was deeply touched by his words. I pray for him and his family, and I thank him for this beautiful life perspective he offered on this occasion.  Read More →

The warning signs outside the theater were ominous: “Adult content not suitable for children.”  Looking around as we entered, I had to remember that the college-age students there were not children.  That’s hard to do when you have offspring older than most present, including the actors performing the show.  Carol and I were there by assignment to see the musical “Rent,” the Tony and Pulitzer award winning rock-opera drama about life in New York’s Lower East Side in the late 1980’s.  It takes place in the neighborhood known as Alphabet City, an area primarily inhabited by bohemian young people wanting to break into theater, TV or music.  Sadly, the area also had high levels of illegal drug activity, violent crime and HIV/AIDS. Undoubtedly the themes of homosexuality, AIDS, drug addiction and homelessness prompted the warnings about the adult content.  The characters include a gay male couple in which both partners have AIDS, an on-again/off-again lesbian couple, and... Read the rest of this entry »

I haven’t written very many talks over the years — I’ll bet you could count them on one hand.  Early this morning in search of something else, I stumbled over this one.  I was asked to speak at the funeral of a dear friend, John Marsing, several years ago.  My sentiments on that occasion were renewed and rekindled as I read what follows: John Marsing Funeral, May 25, 2002 Visible from here to the west stands a half-framed home the master carpenter John was building for his family. The home he was building here on earth will be left for others to finish, but make no mistake – his eternal home, his mansion on high if you will, is already nearing completion. He’s just gone ahead to make sure the final inspection gets done on schedule in preparation for those who will someday join him. (See 1 Corinthians 3). Funerals are still my favorite meetings in the Church. Such a declaration made in some quarters of this fallen world today among those without hope... Read the rest of this entry »