I have been thinking lately about the kinds of books I have read. In the past few years I have read a bunch of books written about short-term experiences. Read more »

It is that time of year again. I am starting to get phone call from friends telling me that their children are engaged and in true Mormon fashion, the weddings are scheduled for this summer. Read more »

Rob and I have been having an ongoing, fleeting conversation for months about stake presidents (and maybe bishops, but I don’t want to formally include them in this post because I think they get beat up so regularly I want to give them a pass on this. Unless you have a great insight about bishops in which case, I will happily include them.) Read more »

My daughter works at McDonald’s as a manager to help her husband through school. She works from 4 am – noon, rising at 3 am. Her husband gets up with their baby and goes to work at Olive Garden as a waiter at 11 am. His sister watches the baby for that hour; it’s a good setup for the little guy because with their differing days off, he only has to be tended a few hours a week. Her husband gets home at 5 pm, then goes to night school till 10 or 11. It’s hard on them, but worth it. Read more »

” Church is cancelled due to the snow today for 3/24/13. Bishop has asked us to remember that it is still the Sabbath day. That cancelling church is not a day off from religious observance. All members should read and study the scriptures, conference talks, and other church literature.
Members should also consider spending time doing family history work and/or indexing. Even just creating an account at Familysearch.org and looking at their family tree could be a meaningful activity.”

This was on my Facebook feed this morning. I’m not even this is ward and I’m annoyed. Why do we feel the need say this? That bishop needs to take a nap and eat a cookie.

I recently moved back to the Salt Lake area after several years on the east coast. Every day, my bus passes in front of the Beehive House, and it occurred to me that, despite the fact that I grew up in Utah, I could not remember ever having visited it. You know how it is, you never visit the sites you live closest to.

So I went. Well, here’s what I learned there:
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On the news lately (like on the internet, in newspapers, in Time magazine, on NPR radio news –pay attention people!) there has been a good amount of discussion regarding Sheryl Sandberg’s new book “Lean in, – Women, Work and the Will to Lead.” It is another in a long line of books starting back 50 years ago with The Feminine Mystique by Betty Freidan that explores the hows and whys women can’t/aren’t succeeding a man’s world. Read more »

When I was a kid my adoptive mother decided my sister and I needed to learn how to play the piano so we could grow up and play for church services. Read more »

I was thinking about my brother, Rex and was remembering his funeral. He died in 1999 at age 33 of a brain tumor. He was my older brother but was developmentally delayed. Emotionally he was about an 9 year old boy. Read more »

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Today I was assigned to talk to you about how to teach your children gospel principles in the home. (Because this is the only topic I’ve ever seen a woman assigned to speak about in Stake Conference, I feel comfortable volunteering for this. Heaven forbid a woman ever gets to talk about something other than motherhood. But I digress…) Read more »

So, by now, I know you are all aware of the new editions of the scriptures and the much talked about changes to headings, introductions, study aids, etc.

I am generally pleased with the direction (if not always the destination) of the majority of the “adjustments” I have looked at so far. The new introduction to Official Declaration 2, for example, is receiving a lot of attention:

The Book of Mormon teaches that “all are alike unto God,” including “black and white, bond and free, male and female” (2 Nephi 26:33). Throughout the history of the Church, people of every race and ethnicity in many countries have been baptized and have lived as faithful members of the Church. During Joseph Smith’s lifetime, a few black male members of the Church were ordained to the priesthood. Early in its history, Church leaders stopped conferring the priesthood on black males of African descent. Church records offer no clear insights into the origins of this practice. Church leaders believed that a revelation from God was needed to alter this practice and prayerfully sought guidance. The revelation came to Church President Spencer W. Kimball and was affirmed to other Church leaders in the Salt Lake Temple on June 1, 1978. The revelation removed all restrictions with regard to race that once applied to the priesthood.

Questions on the divine origin of the ban aside (full disclosure — I personally don’t believe it was of God), I cannot get over the irony of citing that particular verse from 2 Nephi in the context of expanding the pool of those who may be ordained to the priesthood.

If “black and white” are equal in the sight of God in terms of their eligibility for the priesthood, why, then, aren’t “male and female”?

I have been watching with fascination this whole week as the Carnival Cruise Ship has limped home from Mexico with severely compromised plumbing, electrical and who knows what else. Read more »

So the news of the morning is that the Pope of the Catholic church is resigning because he figures he is too old and a younger man could do a better job. Read more »

The sister who taught Relief Society this morning included her own conversion story, which always makes me perk up and listen. She referred to herself as a “media referral;” apparently her introduction to the Gospel was through a commercial for a free Book of Mormon during an initial run of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I can tell you the natural consequences of such a media buy: 20 years later, our Lorenzo Snow lesson on conversion was taught through an extended Hobbit metaphor. It was fun.

Truely, I love the idea (don’t tell me I’m wrong) of people at Church headquarters deciding Trekkies are their most receptive TV audience, even though it might lead to an extra-ordinary share of sci-fi fan converts. If they were asking you, what TV shows’ audience would you go after with church commercials?

A few of the sisters in my ward are participating in a women’s interfaith prayer group and discussion. I haven’t gone yet but it sounds interesting. While I was growing up I got the message it was dangerous to mix with other churches. Read more »

I recently watched a talk show on tv that featured a celebrity who’s career is doing very well lately. This person said that really, anyone who wanted it bad enough could have the kind of success he has found. Read more »

If you heard the news this morning, you already know pigs will be flying by the end of this week. At least, that is what my local news meant when they said the Boy Scouts of America are expected to reverse their policy and by Friday will have an official announcement allowing for same sex Scout leadership and Boy Scouts.
I wouldn’t have believed it unless I saw it for myself.

Who knows? Maybe women really will get to offer prayer during General Conference after all.

Saturday evening I got an email notifying me ward and stake Sunday meetings have been cancelled due to an expected overnight ice storm that will make the roads dangerous. Read more »

I was listening to the radio show about the anniversary of Roe vs Wade, the Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal in the US. The radio commentator were discussing the politics of abortion in our country and I found my interest drifting away. After all, I am a Mormon woman. I have no need for abortion access laws. Read more »

A friend from high school I lost contact with, but thanks to Facebook have regained contact, just got back from his Mexico mission roughly 42 hours ago. Being female, not a romantic interest, and did not write him every month during the past two years (I got married, had a baby, and saw that marriage die with the same time frame. I did say I lost contact with him), I don’t expect to hear anything directly about how great his mission was until sometime next week. In the meantime I get to ponder what has annoyed me about return missionaries. Read more »