Knowing I have a Heavenly Father who created me for a reason (see Colossians 1:16) has given me a very important project: learning what He sounds like so I can recognize His voice. I mean, if He created me because for some incomprehensible reason He needed a “Me”, I don’t want to miss any important messages, instructions, or assignments. I wish I could tell you I had this one down, but there’s been a pretty steep learning curve. I’m definitely getting better, but can’t say I

"Always hopeful, yet discontent, He knows changes aren't permanent But change is." Neal Peart & Pye Dubois, "Tom Sawyer" I can't believe when truth tumbles out of a rock song. It does happen from time to time. I can't get this line from Rush's Tom Sawyer out of my head: "Changes aren't permanent... but CHANGE. IS. Those six words declare one of the hardest truths of eternity, in my estimation. Absolutely nothing stays the same, except the fact that nothing stays the sa

Three weeks ago, I got my annual Christmas present a little early: my epic, barking, you must've-started-smoking-at-age-4 cough. Once again, it was looking like I would not be able to participate in our annual ward Christmas program, and I was devastated. I used to hate being in the ward choir, but my experiences with ward choirs have forever changed how I feel about spending yet another hour to stay at church to go to the rehearsals. I used to be a lot like Fanny Brice when

Knowing there is purpose in learning to wait changed waiting for me, but it still hasn't made me love it. Neither has looking for the lessons in it. Still not a fan. During my intense waiting curriculum, Father left me with the unmistakable knowledge that a LOT of His time involves waiting, and I'm so truly grateful for that inspired insight. For example... How long DOES it take for an earth to be ready for water? Light? Plants? Animals? How long does it take for the first hu

Inigo Montoya really said it best, with pith and a Spanish accent: "I hate waiting." That about sums it up, eh? There isn't a big enough font: I HATE. Waiting. In any line, please make it less than 2 people deep, and be sure to check cart contents before committing For a medical appointment of any kind In traffic - particularly left turn lanes with any color arrow For an upload For a download For a laundry load - the last 5 minutes of the cycle? I swear it's 15 For miracles I

True story 1: Many years ago, a friend was telling me about something he/she had observed in his/her in-law's marriage that had been less than ideal. Translation: this was a normal marriage. Clutch your pearls now, Lucille. Yes - we were talking about a HUMAN marriage in a FALLEN world. The weakness wasn't something egregious like abuse, but it was definitely unrighteous dominion - the garden-variety kind that we often fail to recognize AS unrighteous dominion - the passive

At the risk of stating the obvious, I just want to start by saying that I love the way Jesus does things. The more I pay attention to what He does and the way He does it, the more I think, "Boy, I'm sure glad HE's in charge!" He's always kind and compassionate. But He's never nice. He's always meek and lowly of heart. But He's never weak. He always speaks the truth. But He's never harsh. He has great power - over the very elements He created. But He never abuses it by using i

Tuesday night was our monthly Inklings discussion; ladies in my neighborhood gathered to study general conference talks. We range in age...

"Take My Hand," Greg Olsen If you go into a Deseret Book store, and look for the book Like Him, and turn to page 49, you'll find this...

I've always admired people with great discipline, probably because I fancy I don't have any. And while that may not be entirely true,...

I spent my 65th birthday in the hospital. I had a serious case of covid, as had Dale. That Friday - November 19, 2021, was the first time...

Let’s hear it - three cheers for difficult! Crickets. Humanity is not, as a rule, a fan of difficult - the thing that distinguishes this few minutes of eternity called mortality with the rest of our existence on either end. I don't know very many people who love hard. Of course there are the perverse few, but generally, humans don't just lean away from it, they'll go to great lengths to avoid it. The spectrum can be as broad as pushing a snooze bar repeatedly to preferring ge

Look at these two cuties, would you? The date was June 2, 1955. Seventy years ago, these two young pups went into the Salt Lake Temple as...

You know what takes a lot of practice? Like - a lifetime - and from the looks of mine, longer than that? Charity, that's what. ...

President Russell M. Nelson taught in General Conference last month: "Charity and virtue open the way to having confidence before God!...

It's taken three and a half years. Three and a half years ago, today, I fell and broke my shoulder on my morning walk. A misstep on a...

I find myself awaking on Easter morning with the image of this painting in my mind. It was painted by a man who has become a dear...

Six weeks ago, my friend who is also my stake president asked Dale and me if we could stay after church for a few minutes. He told us the...

I’ve loved this phrase for many years. Before I painted my family room ten years ago, I had it in vinyl lettering on the wall with family...

When I was in college, I would come home from my last final of fall term to find a gift waiting for me from my mother. This was usually a...