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How do we measure success and failure? Grades A, B, C, D or F? Pass/fail. High scores on video games? The bigger number on a scoreboard at a sporting event? What about college entrance exam scores, admissions to prestigious universities. Am I successful if I have a lot of stuff?  A lot of money? The list goes on and on. How is success or failure measured in relationships? Is it as simple as good or bad? Is it based on how much contention, or how little contention? Divorce? Respect? Love? Do positive emotions have to be reciprocal to be considered a success? Does any of this resonate? How do we measure success as a parent? Successful children? What does that look like? Is there a reasonable measurement? Is it the same for everyone? Is there such a thing as religious success or failure? How would I be able to tell? Can someone measure it for me? Can I measure it for you? Can it be measured now, or do I have to wait until I die? Will “judgment day” show my success or failure?...

"Whatever our individual troubles and challenges may be, it's important to pause every now and then to appreciate all that we have, on every level." Shakti Gawain I would add to this -- whatever we may think we lack -- and then say this . . .  Everyone in the world has more than someone else, and less than someone else. In this context, every person in the world has reason to be grateful. Not everyone has shoes, or three meals a day, or running water. Some people have more food than they can eat, enough shoes they can wear 3 different pairs in a day, and running water in all 6 bathrooms under the roof over their head. Some people have a loving family, a village free from war and disease, and thatch keeping out the elements. Some people have a summer house, a winter house, and a get-away house. Some people have no family, no peace, and no roof. Notwithstanding, everyone can be grateful for what they have, and everybody should make the effort, commit the time...

Symbolism uses one thing (or idea) to represent another thing (or idea). There is always “this” that stands in the place of “that.” The value of the symbol is in teaching about “that” by employing “this” as a teaching tool. .. In temple or religious symbolism, the “this” used has no real value, but “that” holds eternal value. If an unbelieving person obtains access to “this” temple or religious symbol, and then fails to understand its relationship to “that” which is spiritual or eternal, they have nothing of value. Likewise, when the symbol this has no meaning for those who believe in the spiritual or eternal (temple), then it fails to have any value for the believer as well. .. God frequently uses symbols to teach His highest truths. Christ used parables to teach about that by using the familiar to substitute as a representation. He explained that this was to prevent those who were unworthy of the symbol from comprehending the truths. Seeing, they "see not"...

Guess what?  It's pretty damn difficult parenting adult children.

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance My rating: 4 of 5 stars All I can think about and could think about while reading this book was that I am so unbelievably ignorant of the world, and not just the world, but the good old US of A. This young man may as well live on another planet from me. His experiences have opened by eyes. May I be less judgmental, and more Godly in my associations with people. I can not possibly know their experiences, much less their hearts. Kudos J.D. Vance - you have quite a story. View all my reviews

The Violent Bear It Away by Flannery O'Connor My rating: 5 of 5 stars A book full humor, horror, hopelessness and hope written in beautiful metaphorical prose. View all my reviews

Dear all of you, Last year I had a thought or impression, maybe. I felt like I wanted to send you guys a letter to tell you my thoughts about Mother's Day. Well the day, week, month and year came and went, and I never did. This year, same impression. This time I'm responding to that impression.  My path to motherhood was slightly different than most. Four kids within a few weeks of being married and then 5 of my own. Mothering is hard work. And strangely, nobody bothers to actually tell you how hard it is. Mothering is also the most rewarding thing I can think of ever doing.  I used to hate Mother's Day. It's not uncommon. Gather 20 mothers together, ask them to discuss mother's day and I would be willing to bet more than 1/2 of them hate it. The reasons vary. We are all different.  I could drone on and list the reasons I "hated" mother's day. They were all selfish and self-pitying. Therefore, not worth mentioning. Those of you who are...

Lord, I want to be like you. I want to have your influence guide all I do. I have been thinking a lot about relationships, and how we interact with one another in this fallen world. Our form of communication is imperfect. We misunderstand one another. We give offense. We take offense. We impose motive and intent on the words spoken to us. We defend the words spoken by us. I want my relationships to be God-like and facilitated by my desire to communicate as perfectly as I can. My prayer: I want to lift people and bring light to their life.   I want my conversations to be honest. I want to speak to people with love and compassion. I want them to be edified and uplifted by my counsel, if they are in need. I want to be kind and charitable. I want to be understood. I want to say what YOU want me to say. I want to say it in a way that they hear YOU in my words I know from experience that I can say things that are interpreted incorrectly. I am then forced to rethi...

In honor of this blog post:  http://pintsizedtreasures.com/games-my-kids-are-not-allowed-to-play/ Here is a list of a few of the things I let (or watched) my kids and their friends do:  -Ride a Yamaha 90 cc dirt bike without shoes or helmets (starting at approx. 12-years old) -Ride a Honda Metropolitan scooter without shoes or helmets (starting at approx. 12-years old) -Play tag around the neighborhood with friends on aforementioned dirt bike and scooter -Stack lawn chairs as high as they can and jump off onto trampoline -Have 10 people on the trampoline at a time (only one rule: big kids can't jump with little kids) -Running jump off elevated retaining wall onto trampoline -Douse tennis balls with gasoline, light them on fire, send them through the pitching machine and hit them with either bats or tennis rackets -Play with balls (all makes and models) in the house -Make soda bottle bombs with dry ice - BTW you need to be 18 years old to buy dry ice -Hold f...

1. Be less superficial in my interactions with people. 2. Be a safe place for others to do the same. I hope I am able to articulate succinctly what is in my head and my heart. I feel strongly about this. I had an epiphany the other day. The names have been changed to protect those who I didn't ask permission to tell their part of the story. It took place kind of like this. I was at school substituting a delightful group of 1st graders for Mrs. Z. It was the end of the day. Carpool. I am standing outside watching parents come and pick up their children. I was standing next to another 1st grade class taught by a teacher who I consider a friend. Our kids have gone to school together for years. We have 3 children the same ages. Despite their growing up, graduation, and different college and career paths, our children are friends. As we stood there, we started chatting about our kids. How are they? How are they liking school? So you have a wedding coming up? Where is so and so no...

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan My rating: 4 of 5 stars Susannah Cahalan writes this memoir like the journalistic reporter that she is. It lacks the emotional intensity it could have perhaps because of her suffering and memory loss. However, the story is fascinating and frightening at the same time. I was hooked into the medical mystery of it all. Worth the read. View all my reviews

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut My rating: 2 of 5 stars Umm...umm... That's all I could come up with. I read it on a trip where I literally had 3 days to do nothing. Under those circumstances, I found it easy to read, and well-written (Kurt Vonnegut, duh). View all my reviews

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling My rating: 1 of 5 stars I knew this was no Harry Potter. Just how NOT Harry Potter was yet to be determined. It felt like she was trying to prove something. "I can write for adults," says J.K. I suppose she can. If you like that kind of thing. I have proven to myself that my criteria for finishing a book rests largely on how well it is written. J.K. Rowling can write. With her writing, she can entice me to finish a book that is about despicable people, behaving badly*. There is nothing redemptive, uplifting or even rational about the way the characters in this story interacted. There was more hate, back-biting, vindictiveness and ugliness in these people's lives than I have ever seen, nor can I even imagine - and for that I am grateful. *addiction *rape *treachery *self-mutilation *child neglect *child abuse *infidelity and betrayal *personality disorders Reader BEWARE View all my reviews

Carry On, Warrior: The Power of Embracing Your Messy, Beautiful Life by Glennon Doyle Melton My rating: 3 of 5 stars Glennon Doyle Melton's "messy, beautiful life" was not the "messy, beautiful life" I was thinking about when I picked this book up at the Book Fair. I was thinking -- "Oh, I'm so disorganized, my house is full and clutter and bugging me. How can I get a handle on all this stuff?" I thought Ms. Melton was going to help me get over my insecurity about the messy (house) life. Not so much. Never heard of Momastery? Me neither. Glennon Doyle Melton is funny, bold, interesting, real, offensive, and inspiring. It's a lot of other things as well, but they will be different for everybody. I have put down more than one personal memoir about "overcoming" a life of addiction and tragedy. The sadness overwhelms me. This wasn't about sadness. It was about living a purposeful life. View all my reviews

"Now, sisters, while your input is significant and welcome in effective councils, you need to be careful not to assume a role that is not yours. The most successful ward and stake councils are those in which priesthood leaders trust their sister leaders and encourage them to contribute to the discussions and in which sister leaders fully respect and sustain the decisions of the council made under the direction of priesthood leaders who hold keys." Elder Ballard. September 2014 Ensign .  "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." (Genesis 1:27) (What is the image of God?) "And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an helpmeet for him." (Genesis 2:18) (What is the role of an helpmeet? Is this limited in scope?) "Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the m...

Fri Mar 27, 2009 - Norman Mattoon Thomas (November 20, 1884 - December 19, 1968) was a leading American socialist, pacifist, and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America . He was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1911. As a candidate for President of the U. S., Norman Thomas said, in a 1944 epoch speech: "The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism. But, under the name of "liberalism", they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing how it happened." He went on to say: "I no longer need to run as a Presidential Candidate for the Socialist Party. The Democratic Party has adopted our platform."

Food Over Medicine: The Conversation That Could Save Your Life by Pamela A. Popper My rating: 3 of 5 stars I liked the book. I didn't really want to be persuaded of anything. I'm not that interested in changing big things. However, it's great information, great to be informed and great because now I can make informed choices if I choose to. View all my reviews

The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas G. Carr My rating: 4 of 5 stars Fascinating. I don't think it matters whether you agree with his analysis or not, the book certainly gives you something to think about. I'm convinced I need to change my relationship with the Internet. I am recommending this book to all my kids. View all my reviews

If the LDS Church is going to do this: Mike Terry, Deseret News LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson joined elected officials, business leaders and prominent Utah County residents Friday to dedicate and celebrate the Zions Bank Financial Center.   Photo by Ravell Call Bob Taubman speaks as City Creek Center opens in Salt Lake City, Thursday, March 22, 2012 Then the LDS Church should probably expect some of this . . . Also, a sense of humor never hurt anyone. I am certain God has one.