Mormon Bloggers

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints held their annual General Conference this weekend.  Available almost immediately world-wide via internet streaming and radio broadcast, I still appreciate the blessing of living in Utah and being able to watch it live on network tv.  This year I tried to keep my boys interested with coloring pages and crafts that taught the names of the leaders who were speaking.  For the first time in many years I was able to enjoy all four sessions without too many child distractions.   So many of the messages spoke directly to troubles or worries I have in my life, but the talk I can’t get out of my head today was by Elder Lynn G. Robbins. The difference between “doing” and “being.”  I asked my husband last night what he needs from me-how I can be a better wife and make his life more enjoyable.  I was expecting a long list of chores like “put away the laundry instead of leaving it folded... Read the rest of this entry »

This photo comes from the time in my life I like to call my “fountain days.”  What happy memories come flooding back as I think about the free-spirit I was back then feeling the invitation of refreshing bubbling water.  And its impossible to think about fountain-hopping without also thinking of my old friend Jason. I started college when the internet was still a novelty.  Sitting in the campus library I signed up on a Christian dating site and quickly met two fantastic people.  One of those people was Jason and it was only a matter of months before I hopped on a plane to New Jersey to meet him. My mom dropped me off at the airport a little confused and a lot scared and horrified.  I figured that out when I didn’t think to call her upon arrival and she hunted me down by phone at Jason’s grandmothers home.(Important clarification: Jason and I were always just friends.  Our hotel rooms always had two beds and we never even held... Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to a beautiful morning, the first one anywhere close to normal for the last three weeks.  My husband is finally emerging from a de-habilitating cough/flu he has struggled through.  I shared the flu with him myself for about a week and half.  Even doing the things I most enjoy like writing have been hard.  It’s overcast and grey outside, but it’s springtime inside.  Actually going back to the gym today, tackling the house and thankful to be able to do so. My husband and I frequently read the LDS General Conference talks together in the morning.  Sometimes it’s more like he endures it while I read to him because quite frankly, he’s a workaholic who can’t wait to bolt out the door.  Especially Monday morning. So this morning I’m pouring out my soul to him, sharing my deeper, introspective thoughts and he looks at his watch and says, “Are we through reading yet?” Fortunately, he is frequently more... Read the rest of this entry »

“Adventure is fun and exciting and not like anything at home.  It’s looking back and knowing you can do something-because you did it.” -Nan Jeffrey, Adventuring with Children What was your last adventure?  Read More →

“What would your life look like if you took your love to your loved-ones, and your frustrations to the Lord (instead of vice-versa)?” Such was the introduction to an amazing hour spent with John & Bonnie Lund, who visited our Stake for a fireside, just this last Sunday evening. I’m so glad I went. I was feeling a little weary that afternoon/evening, and was of two minds to go. Knowing what I know now, skipping out would have been a great loss to me. Here are some notes I took (the fullness which can certainly be found in Bro. Lund’s published works). Love and trust are not one and the same. Trust is based on consistent good choices. We’ll never carry out the Lord’s way by using the Devil’s methods. See D&C 121: 39-46 for the Lord’s method. Nephi was blessed for not murmuring. See 1 Nephi 3: 6. D&C 93:39 Many of the mistakes we make in our relationships are the result of incorrect “teachings of [our] fathers.”... Read the rest of this entry »

“The female brain is ‘super-highway’ of connections, whereas the connections in the male brain are better described as a ‘little crookedy country road.’” -Stephen James &  David S. Thomas, Yup. Nope. Maybe.  Read More →

I had the privilege to attend a talk by Elvin R. Tanner last week.  He is an accomplished psychologist and professor.  He and his wife live in my church ward and are such a great example.  Married more than 50 years, they still dote over each other and can count the number of arguments they’ve had on one hand.  The topic of the talk was love.  Any lecture with such generic subject matter has the possibility of being very bland, but my heart was touched.  The Lord gently reproved me for laziness in my most important relationships and encouraged me through expert advice to wake on a new day and share my love in the way He shares His love with me every day. “Do you know how hard it is to love a porcupine?” Think about that for a moment.  Originally the question was asked by a mother to her contentious teenage daughter (thanks, Emily, for sharing).  Tired of hearing her daughter proclaim, “You don’t love me!”, the... Read the rest of this entry »

“I will not fail you, my love.  I will continue on the path we shared, and I know you will be there to help me, as you always were.  And when we meet again at the journey’s end, and we laugh together once more, I will have a thousand things to tell you.” -Noor Al Hussein, Leap of Faith; Memoirs of an Unexpected Life  Read More →

As my Google Friend Connect following inches closer to that magic number of 100, I’m having a number of “new blogger” thoughts.  But, the thing is, I’m not really a new blogger.  I wrote my first entry for Wandering Still in 2007.  And about that same time I started my family‘s blog as well. Gaining a “following” on this blog has been both exciting, motivating, and discouraging.  At first I was excited that there were people on the planet who wanted to read what I had to say.  And not only read it, but relate to it and respond back in some way.  The responses back were particularly motivating.  If there are people interested in what I have to say, then I’ll give them more interesting things to read.  I see how that cycle works…that makes writing great for everyone. The discouragement has come over the past few weeks as I’ve deleted scores of comments shamelessly advertising for other people’s... Read the rest of this entry »

“One of our sons was spending a few days incarcerated in a local facility to ‘pay his debt to society.’  As I looked at his sorrowful countenance behind that glass wall, my heart nearly broken, I only wished I had held and rocked that baby boy.  I couldn’t, as hard as I tried, think of a specific time when I had held him on my lap and kissed his head, face, and ears and held him close to my heart. I had washed that boy, scolded him for misdeeds, sent him to school, even taken pictures of him, but I couldn’t remember putting my lips next to his ear and whispering tender, loving, happy words that might have echoed in his memory when he needed them.  When my arms couldn’t get to him through that terrible glass barrier, I wanted to remember how it felt to hold him and I wanted him to remember how it felt to be held and loved by his mother. So, if I could go back, I would hold and rock and sing and whisper love to my child every single day.” ... Read the rest of this entry »

“If we all managed three weeks of feeling light, and easy and unconcerned, we could build up our depleted energy for the renewal of the battle.  And if the battle need never be renewed we will not have wasted this time by being happy.”                                                                                                       -A Stone Boat, Andrew Solomon  Read More →

Two thoughts on my mind today.  First, of course Beck isn’t eschewing the true meaning of Christmas…I haven’t given him any kind of example to follow.  Second, I have done a terrible job of keeping my own identity as a woman and not just a wife and mother.  I don’t feel like writing about the first one, seeing as how it would entail delving into the ugly parts of me and I already do that all too frequently.  Instead, a more positive path to lead me  back to me. Sometime in the seven years I’ve been married, I’ve completely lost me.  I can’t say anymore that I have any hobbies.  I don’t hang out with gal pals.  I don’t have the patience to be pampered.  It’s almost guaranteed that if I tell you something I like to do, it’s something I do with my whole family.  This has been really weighing on me.  It’s the main reason I’m trying so hard to get back in the habit... Read the rest of this entry »