Mormon Bloggers

OK. I have absolutely no time to post anything today. Especially something that shows that I am a flawed individual.  But I just can’t go another day without sharing. Please don’t think ill of me. You know the scriptures that say: “Ye Judge after the flesh; I judge no man.”  John 8:15 “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Matthew 7:1 “For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged.” 3 Nephi 14:2 I understand these important verses, and I try my best. I also know that I am weak, and will be held accountable. But sometimes it is just too hard. Case in point: Cory Smits, from Two Rivers, Wisconsin was busted for DUI for the 5th TIME. Here is a link to the actual news report. One more thing.  Cory is 29-years-old! — I haven’t even posted this yet and I’m already feeling guilty.  I mean who am I to judge? It’s probably not even his fault that he’s from Wisconsin. OK. Back to work.  Read More →

I went to a free concert last Friday with my family to see a band called Moosebutter.  Self-billed as a comedy acapella group, I had never seen them in person, but was promised a night of hilarity.  Not necessarily because the band is good or funny, but because my in-laws are notorious for making fun of something until you’re laughing so hard they start laughing at you. Moosebutter on Friday night consisted of four middle-aged guys (I say middle-aged hesitantly because one of them went to school with my husband and that would mean I’ve now labelled myself with that heavy moniker) jumping around and shouting out melodic song parodies.  I think sometimes they have only two guys and maybe sometimes they have five or six.  This night there was a beat-boxer, a phenomenal falsetto, and two other guys.  About every 10 minutes I found them genuinely entertaining, and then I morphed back into complete boredom and confusion.  The show went on for nearly... Read the rest of this entry »

“And the truth is, we are not better than the people who are on the show…some of us just dress better. Some of us have more money. Or some of us had better luck in the pool of parents. And sometimes we went to better schools and learned to speak better. But the behavior — all you have to do is look at any newspaper on any day, of all the famous people involved in all kinds of things. How can we say for a second, you know. If you just look at the hearings we’ve had in Congress lately. Are those people morally superior to the people on my show? I would hardly think so.” -Jerry Springer  Read More →

“Every day when you see what another person needs to do better,  improve that thing in yourself.”                                                                                                          -Ben, my husband       Read More →

“Dante was so wrong.  At the lowest point, at the nadir of the ninth circle of hell, Satan will be sharing eternally cold space with treasonous brownnosers who abandon their principles and do what is wrong for the sake of a good grade, or applause.  And these brownnosers will have to lick Satan’s razor-studded butt forever and ever, with their tongues.” -Carlos Eire,  Waiting For Snow In Havana, p. 232  Read More →

“…do not forget to pray.  Each time you pray, if you do so sincerely, there will be the flash of a new feeling in it, and a new thought as well, one you did not know before, which will give you fresh courage; and you will understand that prayer is education.  Remember also: every day and whenever you can, repeat within yourself: ‘Lord, have mercy upon all who come before you today.’  For every hour and every moment thousands of people leave their life on this earth, and their souls come before the Lord—and so many of them part with the earth in isolation, unknown to anyone, in sadness and sorrow that no one will mourn for them, or even know whether they had lived or not.  And so, perhaps from the other end of the earth, your prayer for his repose will rise up to the Lord, though you did not know him at all, nor he you.  How moving it is for this soul, coming in fear before the Lord, to feel at that moment that someone is praying for him, too, that there... Read the rest of this entry »

A professor once asked the students of her marriage preparation course, “What are the most important values you are looking for in a spouse?” The lists were long: sense of humour, intelligence, faith, steady job, good family, similar interests, education, sense of adventure, loyalty, stability… The professor then asked, “What one of those values is your top priority?” Without much pause, students responded: sense of humour, intelligence, faith, steady job, good family, similar interests, education, sense of adventure, loyalty, stability… They, like most of modern society, wanted it all. * We are fortunate to live in an age when any dream can be realized or obtained. What a marvelous thing! We should never take it for granted; we should also never let it cloud our vision. The fact of the matter is, “having it all” only comes after we’ve obtained important things individually. Very few people win the lottery and see all of their dreams... Read the rest of this entry »

How far back do your actions set you? This question popped into my head during church a few weeks ago and at the time I had a very specific incident in mind between Ben and my brothers-in-law. I wanted him to realize that simple decisions like which movie to watch or which television show to quote may speak volumes louder than his most genuine example of standing uprightly. Sitting through the rest of church other events ran through my mind: Raising your voice at a child when you’re trying to teach him to use his indoor voice or the proper way to deal with anger Gossiping to a person with whom you’ve worked hard to build trust Slacking at your job or Breaking your word by neglecting a commitment or responsibility Surprisingly, while thinking of these different situations I didn’t allow myself to feel down about myself or the things that I am doing. I recognize that I’m human and sometimes do things I later wish I hadn’t. Every one of us does. Knowing and... Read the rest of this entry »