I love the holiday season. Christmas fills me with sentimentality. And the lights and nativities bring reverence and sweetness to every evening. Even driving home at the end of the day, with the shorter daylight hours, can be a Christmas light-watching tour. And naturally, we tend to focus more readily on what matters. My favorite part of this season, along with the lights, is the Christmas movies. Some of them are so well done and thought-provoking. I recently watched a... Read more
This Christmas season I have been studying the names of Christ in the scriptures. I am trying to gain a deeper understanding of our relationship with Him. And I have found something profound. In the Bible Dictionary, I found that Christ had 20 different names in the Old Testament. And in Revelation, there are 24 more names for the Savior. From the Gospels and Acts, 66 more names for Christ are added. And in the Epistles, a staggering 116 names... Read more
Am I the only one who has become a hermit since COVID hit? I used to always be going and zipping all over town. Now I stay home and spend time with the family. It’s been wonderful for our family’s closeness. But it has affected my mental health and isolated me more than I like. And I honestly feel like I need to recover from this Pandemic. My friend and I were talking yesterday. She moved here just as COVID... Read more
SO much changed for me when COVID hit. I had been the type who loved to wander the aisles at stores. I met my friends on a regular basis. We hosted huge parties with everyone we know. I went to church every week, and activities with the congregation several times a month. I was rarely home because I would drive my son to school and stay out doing errands until pickup. Then it was off to lessons and playing at... Read more
I have an admission to make. I see a therapist. I love therapy! I think everyone should at some time in their life. But this time I am seeing one be a better mom for a teenage boy. I have no idea how boys’ brains work, and I have learned a LOT as we talked. 5 More Minutes As I have thought about therapy, and life, and processing hard things, I want to talk to you about writing. There... Read more
Do you remember the way Visiting Teaching used to be? The older generation in my ward does, and they are struggling to switch to the Ministering format. I remember when I was in college we used to Visit Teach and almost reluctantly stuck with the old style. We would gather and read the message in the Ensign, and then visit for an hour and spend time laughing. That was how I continued to do it after college till I moved... Read more
We got the news four days ago. My elderly In-Laws both have COVID. And immediately two of my brothers-in-law said they would not be available to help because they could not risk their Thanksgiving plans. (Plans that SHOULD have involved my In-Laws) And they washed their hands of their parents for fear of the virus. It’s disgusting! Recovering from COVID My In-Laws chose not to be vaccinated. My father-in-law worried about the new science. And my mother-in-law worried about her... Read more
Grief is heavy. It slows down time and weighs on you. Did you know that one day can feel like three? I just came off the longest week of my life. I’m so exhausted. And the Plan of Salvation has been on my mind a lot. About a week ago my favorite Aunt was placed on Hospice, and our family started a bedside vigil. We had someone with her around the clock. Because when she was conscious, she could barely... Read more
Last week I had a mole removed from my foot. It was so itchy! I went to bed that night with my wholly socks on, to protect the bandage. It was so itchy there was nothing else I could focus on. (I found out later that I had an allergic reaction to the anesthesia.) But dang! I remember thinking about how hard it was to do anything with all that itching. Itching I was forgetful and struggled to... Read more
Today is the 17th anniversary of 9/11. I still remember where I was when I heard about the first plane hitting the first tower. My brother had worked in tower 2, and was supposed to be at work there that day. But through a miracle, he had been kept from the building that day, and that saved his life. He lost co-workers and friends. But we were spared the grief that so many others have endured. As I’ve been... Read more
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