Skip to main content

Popular posts from this blog

How To Have A Ward Missionary Fireside

I am a missionary in my church ward (congregation). There are several members in every ward who work with the official tag-wearing missionaries you usually think of as they teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We also encourage all members to share the gospel by inviting their friends to activities, and into their homes to learn about our church. We recently put on a fireside (a meeting to share inspirational messages) to remind the members how they can share the gospel through everyday interaction and conversation. Below is the "transcript" we used to outline the meeting. It does not have every word written out, but gives a general idea of what was said. If you use this for your ward, feel free to expand on the ideas in your own words. The first skit is meant to be funny because the member is not sincere when speaking of the church. The other skits show a member sharing what they believe in a friendly and open way . The comments in italics are meant to help with the di...

The Personification of Beauty

When I was a little girl I was uncomfortable with the word “woman.” I didn’t want to say it. I would substitute, “lady” or “girl” whenever I could. I felt the same way about the word “purse,” and tried to avoid that word as well. Maybe it was because I didn’t want to grow up. Maybe I wanted to be little and without the responsibilities that all women with purses have. I didn’t have an explanation. I just did not want to be called a woman or carry a purse.   I am over that feeling now. I am in the final year of my thirties and have a son that will be an adult in less than two years, so it’s time. However, when several months ago I started to feel a strong pull toward writing about womanhood, I felt an opposing pull telling me not to. Being the mother of a teenage girl and boy I find myself constantly running into issues related to this topic of womanhood. There has been a lot of discussion about modesty, controlling thoughts, body image, and feminism amo...

I Want Barefoot Books

I have a friend named Marilyn who is a professional story teller. I think that is just about the coolest job there is. She has such a talent. I believe it is a real blessing to be able to tell a story that is meaningful, interesting, imaginative, and teaches something. Entertainment is often noisy and visually over-stimulating, so it is a relief to quietly sit and listen to a story being told or read. And if there is beautiful artwork to go with it, that makes it even better!  Marilyn recommended that I look at  Barefoot Books , and I'm so glad she recommended it!   The next time I'm in Massachusetts I would love to go experience their studio with my kids. Their website is wonderful, and even offers podcasts featuring some of their stories, which are great for older children who are able to focus a little more and use their imaginations to create the pictures in their heads. For younger children, there are also some fun videos featuring book illustrations and so...