A Prayer of Faith

This time last year I was working full time, and made the majority of our (my husband’s and my) income. I was a full time student, graduating with a BS in Astronomy. I had a calling, and friends, and great neighbors. I was also seven months pregnant. I felt important, smart, and absoloutely fantastic.

Three months later, after graduating, quitting my job, moving to a new city for my husband’s new job, and giving birth, I felt horrible. I had a one month old baby, that I didn’t really like (you see he was an ungrateful little thing that was impossible to please and never smiled. I thought babies were supposed to smile). I didn’t know my neighbors, and didn’t really want to (they were riotous college kids). We were one of about 15 couples that moved into our new ward at the same time. I was only itentifiable at church by the baby that I didn’t like much. My husband made more money in his first two months of work than I would have made in a whole year. My life felt pointless, and I was miserable.

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Let me begin by saying that there is so much in this inspiring book that it almost seems impossible that it should all fit into such a small binding. Do not let the size of the volume fool you; it has a surprising amount to offer. Sister Dew, in her delightfully articulate yet relaxed voice moves steadily through layers of comfort, advice, admonition, celebration, and stunning personal, social, and spiritual realization.

Her central assertion is that “[t]his life was designed to be a test–a test to determine if we want to be part of the kingdom of God more than we want anything else.” (page 5) She goes on to address many of the various ‘anything elses’ that are so present and can pull so hard at our resolve. Read the rest of this entry »

Brothers and sisters, I need your help with something…

Oh, where do I begin with this tale of woe? My sister is married to a man who monitors the mileage in their car when she drives it, measures her gas usage and grocery receipts, makes her pay rent for her 4 year-old son (his step-son), yells at her when she buys in bulk to save money, calls his mother to report the bad ‘money-managing’ skills she has, yells at her when she gives a gift to anyone, and constantly puts her down or belittles her because she doesn’t do things the way his mom taught him. He is in his mid-thirties and it is his first marriage. She is in her late 20’s, and it is her second marriage.

I’m not kidding! This tale is true. I cannot fathom why any person, man or woman, would treat a spouse the way he has treated her. He is a ‘good mormon boy’ and yet is totally blind to his failings, but happy to highlight and magnify any perceived infraction that my sister might commit. Read the rest of this entry »

If it weren’t for the wonders of fingernail polish remover, I might have been unable to ever post another anything. Read the rest of this entry »

One of my favorite books is Vogue’s Book of Etiquette: A complete guide to traditional forms and modern usage, By Millicent Fenwick, Associate Editor of Vogue. This book was published in 1948, and is 644 pages long, not including the rather expansive index. It is, for lack of a better term, a hoot. Read the rest of this entry »

Every Thursday, starting this week we will post an article inspired by a General Conference Address.

After moving into our house several years ago, I decided I wanted to put a few favorite quotes on the kitchen wall. We included a quote by President Benson (one of my all-time personal favorites – a topic for another day), my husband’s favorite scripture (Helaman 3:35) and two General Conference quotes. The thought was to replace the General Conference quotes each six months, after each Conference. But we never did. The two quotes are just too classic, too ever-pertinent to our lives. And so they stayed. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve spent the last three and a half months of my pregnancy detesting most any food that came to mind except for a few highly processed comfort foods (ie. Saltines and TopRamen). Following most every “meal” I felt nauseous and dreaded the next encounter I might have with what could be loosely catagorized as “food” Read the rest of this entry »

From advertisers to the adversary, we are bombarded with all sorts of earthly glories meant to entice us and sway us, convince us and even occasionally lead us astray. How do we hold fast to that which we know to be good when all around us sparkles and shines in seductive and alluring ways? The answer is in Moses, chapter 1. Read the rest of this entry »

I have a baby. I think he’s cute, but that is beside the point. He’s 10 months old. Though we haven’t started hearing the question yet, I know we will soon. You know the question I mean. “So when are you gonna have another one?” While there are all sorts of things we could discuss about this question, (How rude it is, how personal, and how potentially hurtful) I want to discuss what the answer is. Assuming one has a fair amount of control over the situation what is the ideal age difference between siblings?

I asked my mom and she says that the perfect spacing is 26 months. “That way they’re close enough to be friends, but far enough apart that you aren’t baby crazy.” So what is your answer, fair readers? What are all the pros and cons of the different child spacings? How close is too close, how far is too far? What did you notice about growing up with siblings of varied ages? What have you noticed in raising your own kids? What is hard or nice for the parents, and what is tough or great for the kids?

I was on a date when it finally happened.

It was something I had waited for, worked for, hoped for. Something that had eluded me for too much time. Something that brought such a thrill that I wanted to call home to share my excitement and relief.

I finally “got in” a Magic Eye picture.

They had been all the rage at our family parties. I would sit and listen to the “oooooo”s and “aaaahhhh”s as relative after relative would discover the wonder lurking in that third dimension. I tried many tricks at those parties, but couldn’t seem to get my eyes to do what they were supposed to do. I was left with what was simply printed on the page. But it was clear that seeing the image beyond the image was an experience worth seeking. (I wanted to “ooooo” and “aaahhhh”!)

And, at last, perseverance paid off. The initial rush of finally seeing beyond the two-dimensional image was thrilling enough, but then I discovered that the longer I was “inside” the image, the more clearly I could see. I could even “look around” – and it was as though I was in another world.

A few years later, I had another “Magic Eye experience,” but this time it was with the scriptures. Read the rest of this entry »