Honest and heartfelt stories and lessons about home, family, love, faith, and personal growth.
There are a lot of things that set my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, apart from other churches. One big one is that our church congregations are run by its members. We do not hire our spiritual…
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I taught a class on building an eternal marriage to the women in my congregation, as well as in a larger event for women in my church. I wanted to make the class interesting, easy to remember, and fun. I…
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This is one of my favorite children’s hymns, and has been since I was a child in Primary at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I can barely sing it without becoming emotional, and I certainly can’t hear…
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I don’t belong here. Have you ever felt that way? I have. It feels terrible. You just want to crawl into a hole to hide from embarrassment, shame, or ostracism. And then after you crawl into…
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Today is my husband’s, Jad Al-Bjaly’s, 34th birthday. He will probably tell you he is only 33 or 32. That is a joke that never gets old in our house, at least to him, haha. Since it is his birthday,…
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As many of you know, I have three sons, ages 11, 5 and 3. Ever since getting pregnant with my fourth child, my friends and family have cheerily and optimistically expressed that they hope I have a girl this time….
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May I state the obvious? I am not black. Quite the opposite. I am white, but may I state something that isn’t quite so obvious? That isn’t stopping me from being in tears after reading about Alton Sterling and Philando Castile – two…
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Sometimes you just feel that you have to write about something. I feel that way tonight. I am writing about something I am completely passionate about. Why have I not written about it before, you ask? I didn’t feel compelled…
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Casey, you are 11 years old now, and as I have observed your actions lately with admiration, I wish to honor you with a tribute. Are you always the perfect son? No, but I am not always the perfect mother,…
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Remember how we won a trip to Disney World? Well, February 29-March 6, 2016 was the week we got to visit the Happiest Place on Earth. Here is how it all went down: Monday – Traveling to Orlando! The magic started early…
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