I’m not sure what I was afraid of, but I know that the fear was deep, animal, and visceral. Even my husband shared it. For all that he loves to jump out of airplanes for fun, that 28-foot ladder up against the side of the house bested him as well as it did me. The job had to be done, though, and it was up to one of us to do it. Read the rest of this entry »
This article was written by Mary A., one of our guest writers.
In the October 2003 General Conference, Elder Jeffery R. Holland gave a talk that has stayed with me, even as it resonated with me at the time. Its title was “The Grandeur of God” and in it, Elder Holland spoke of coming to know our Heavenly Father and to love Him. Read the rest of this entry »
This essay was written by Alli, one of our guest writers.
“Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.”
-Isaiah 12:3
I am often so busy checking things off my to-do lists that I forget to enjoy my life. I have lists of tasks that I should do: things I want to do today, this week, before school starts, or by the time I am thirty. I actually end up crossing quite a few things off my lists, but I tend to get lost filing through the ‘clutter’ of life. Sadly, living the gospel sometimes becomes a checklist of things I should do, rather than a profound and meaningful power in my life; I do not think I fully realize the extent of joy available to me through the gospel of Jesus Christ. On days where I find myself distant from this joy, there is a memory of an experience I had in Portugal that strengthens me. Read the rest of this entry »
The King’s Highway, retold and illustrated by Howard Fullmer is one of those rare children’s books that has a place on every shelf and in every heart, regardless of age. It pulls together within its covers the perfect symbiosis of story, art, and moral. The story is the timeless fable of the young shepherd, Michael, who in the course of his humble service, freely given, finds himself in a place of unexpected greatness. Fullmer’s retelling is involved enough to reel in the attention of older listeners, and yet worded in a way that brings younger ones along, just as enraptured. Read the rest of this entry »
What touched your heart?
I wanted to open up the opportunity to those who had a chance to see the General Relief Society Broadcast last night to share thoughts and feelings about the meeting. What touched your heart the most? What stuck in your mind? What will you want to remember during the next few weeks and months? Did you find yourself setting any goals as a result of the counsel and inspiration we received? Read the rest of this entry »
I’ve arrived to the states 32 weeks pregnant and I am pressed with the dilemma of a birth plan. I have had a baby in Germany and in Maryland, and now I am in Salt Lake City evaluating my priorities and wondering what my options are. I have had two similar experiences where my water breaks early and then I need pitocin and an epidural. Based on my past experience, I was wondering if I should stick with a doctor or go with a midwife or maybe a doula/doctor combo.
Any experiences you could share would be helpful in my decision making at this time.
Having grown up without the Church, or anything like it in my life, I place a great deal of value, and even a slight twinge of envy or two, on the programs for the children and youth. I recently discovered, though, that my daughter did not share in my appreciation. It came to my attention that she had been having some problems behaving in Primary—for some time, in fact. She, apparently, had often been disruptive in class, trying to distract the other girls by joking around or flipping the lights on and off. She’d even been difficult in Sharing Time, refusing to sing songs and even insisting on sitting on the floor.
I must confess that I was somewhat appalled at the news, and I have never been a mother to remain silent in the face of what I consider unacceptable behavior. So, one afternoon, I sat my daughter down on the couch for a quick discussion of the situation. Read the rest of this entry »
My father passed away peacefully a few months ago, just eighteen days short of his hundredth birthday. Even as his physical capacities gradually diminished during the last few years, he continued to live by himself, fixing his own meals and using his own recipe to bake his super-nutritious bread. Both he and my mother, who died seven years previously, impressed all who knew them with their positive, cheerful outlook on life, even in the midst of their challenges.
I have sometimes wondered if my own basically cheerful nature was inherited, or a more a result of seeing and following my parents’ example. Both genetics and observation no doubt come into play, but I recently found evidence that they were actively trying to teach me the value of being cheerful when I was very young. Read the rest of this entry »
A letter from our editor…
Dear friends of Roxcy/A Prayer of Faith,
My sincerest gratitude goes out to each and every one of you who read or participate with us here on the site as we have gone through various permutations of writers, plans for new looks, new names, summer break, and the like. I have to say that there have been plenty of times lately that I have felt far too small for the task of maintaining this project. The Lord has gone on to provide ongoing inspiration, and even the priceless gift of phenomenal help. I have been blessed to have some of the most amazing sisters of my acquaintance come into my life by way of connection to this project.
Even amongst ourselves, though, we are still refining the nature of our vision for what this site is, can, and should be. Read the rest of this entry »
This past Sunday, we had our stake/regional conferences (the kind beamed to buildings in the region). President Monson, Elder Wirthlin and Elder Samuelson were our visiting leaders.
I wanted to share something simple but meaningful from Elder Wirthlin’s talk on enduring trials. To paraphrase, he said that rather than ask, “Why me?” we should instead ask, “What now?”
(Incidentally, when I called a friend of mine that afternoon, I could tell she had yet another migraine. I told her I was sorry and she simply said, “What now?” It took me a minute to make the connection. She is an example to me as one who endures her trials gracefully.)
I love short, simple statements like Elder Wirthlin’s to add to my reservoir of reminders - things to tell myself when I’m wont to wallow in self-pity.
What do you have tucked in your mental/spiritual reservoir that help you in difficult times?