“Good morning Emma,” I greeted Miss Independence as she ran from her bedroom and into the new day. “How are you?” I inquired. “I’m three,” she responded. Now that was actually a more precise description than anything my vacationing granddaughter could have told me about her health or her welfare. ... Read More
Why I Returned the Harp
Years ago, right in the middle of motherhood, I woke up one day with the thought that I must take on something new, something just for me, something outside the “mommy box.” So what did I do? Within 24 hours I had I hired a harp teacher, rented an actual harp from her, picked up the harp, and ... Read More
“Hey Lady, Do You Know How To Call Utah?”
One summer night, years ago, I met a different kind of nine-year-old. He was day and night from my little boy, the one I had left at Grandma's, safely watching videos and eating popcorn, with instructions negating any chance of taking part in neighborhood night games (hide and seek, kick the can ... Read More
Just Come!
Reverence was not a top priority for my 12 nieces and nephews visiting the Missionary Training Center on a February Sunday afternoon. We had just finished attending a sacrament meeting where their grandpa, after several years of service, had been released as a branch president. The children had ... Read More
The Long Way Home
Preface Recovery is about acknowledging, coming to believe, learning to trust, remembering, thinking through, seeking perspective, taking time to review, becoming willing to let go, gathering courage to do hard things, growing in our ability to live by revelation, serving our fellows–and all this ... Read More
Tie Him Up Today
Every day the world is abuzz with tweets and twitters, newscasts and texts, Facebook proclamations and e-mail conversation about how to put an end to evil. No one seems to agree on how this might be accomplished, but one little girl has a pretty good idea of where to begin. Recently my ... Read More
Little Messenger, Big Support
Addendum to “There’s No Way I Signed Up for This?” and “The Perfect Stranger” I’ve had people tell me that the minds of little children and youth aren’t developed enough to understand principles of recovery. I don’t think it’s true. I want to tell you about a little girl who definitely has the Main ... Read More
The Perfect Stranger
Addendum to “There’s No Way I Signed Up for This?” We all know how good it is to have a friend who’s gone before us and managed to survive the hard thing we’re being challenged with today, someone who can give us some pointers on our present situation. Saylor is that friend for Gracie. Gracie and ... Read More