Hard to Love

Christmastime is beauty. Falling snow brings a deafening silence to a worn out world, and makes our homes sparkle in the chill darkness. We rightly celebrate the beauty that the birth of our Savior and his Atonement has purchased for us – the promise of peace on earth and life eternal. But today, I pause…

Lessons From Sanctuary

Heat presses down on my skin, pushing up tiny beads of perspiration. They evaporate quickly. Drop by precious drop, I become the atmosphere. In the blessed shade of the rock, I place my palm on the sandstone. It is cool to the touch. Numberless flecks of ancient sand compressed into this towering wall of sanctuary…

Building Castles

The wind told me her secrets. High on a mountain, she wrapped her feathery wings around me. She swept hair from my eyes and kissed my cheeks with pink chill. I have so much to share but so few who will listen, she confided. Will you listen? I’ll listen, I said. She sighed. Then I’ll…

The Soldier’s Words

Watching sandy letters melt into the sunset lighted tide, She stands upon the floor of gold, a tear of pealdrop in her eye By the beam from yonder lighthouse, her last words slip from view. A lonely keeper of the flame, she writes, “…but I still wait for you.” Across the sea from homeland’s shores,…

A Missed Sand Dollar

My feet made a splat, splat sound on the mirror-like surface of the wet sand as I hurried along much the same as the sandpipers that rushed in and out of the swirling water ahead of me. Like the little birds, my eyes only left the sand briefly to check my surroundings. I could barely…

Strawberry Soda Friends

April means springtime. It means the birthday of my Captain Adorable, the wonderful lengthening hours of the Alaska sunshine, and (at least in my house) it means strawberry soda. Every time April rolls around I start craving this sugary stuff. I avoid soda generally because it gives me a  stomach ache, but I swear there is something different about…

Milestones: Clean Thoroughly With Soap and Water

The house is quiet. Captain Adorable has gone to bed and his hard-working Daddy is having another late night at the office. I watched the daylight fade through the window as I trudged along on the treadmill which I hope lulls Captain Adorable to sleep rather than keeping him awake. After having a baby I should have been…

Why I’ll Live to Be One Hundred and Nineteen

I’ve had a goal most of my life: to live to see the year 2100. I would love to be one of the favored few who are alive and kicking in three different centuries. Besides the obvious awesomeness of the feat though, there’s another reason I want to live that long. It has to do with a particular disadvantage…

It Takes Life

I’ve recently begun to realize (again) just how much I love stories. Captain Adorable cuddles up on my lap for at least a few seconds before naptime and bedtime to hear about hungry caterpillars or porcupines named Fluffy. To my delight, his attention span has recently doubled since he’s learned how to turn the pages himself. We love going…

Aeronca Girl

Today I’m breaking from the normal motherly musings of everyday life to share a piece of writing from my creative writing workshop. Here’s a day in the life of the 22 year old gypsy … Day Two. Keokuk Iowa Municipal Airport. Liquid condensation trickles silently down the sheer nylon walls that offer me little protection from…