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True North
I walk out of the air-conditioned terminal onto the tarmac. I watch the ocean breeze lift palm leaves. The sun soaks into my jeans that I wear for the first time in a week. It’s January and I’m on my way home, back to winter. I walk up the stairs and find my husband, a few rows ahead of me. I scoot past two other passengers to the window, set down my backpack and lean back into the seat. I think about the uninterrupted time with my husband. I know we’ll both recall the days our schedule matched the rhythm of the ocean. I picture this morning’s sunrise and feeling…
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Stress and Kindness
I am on a flight home from Utah. I wear a mask because I don’t want to sneeze on my neighbor. Apparently I’m allergic to dust. Last weekend, while clearing my dad’s home, I developed sinus issues. During the descent of both flights, I feel like my eardrums are going to burst. It turns out to be the perfect segue into the next few days. The following evening, I sit on the couch beside my husband listening to the president of the United States address the nation with an update on the Coronavirus. The day after, between an ENT appointment, check-ins with my kids and a trip to the grocery…
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The Ebb and Flow of Stillness
I walk outside to see the first light. The sky is awash in soft, delicate colors. The ocean is too and the sand is off-white. Unsaturated hues combine for a neutral effect. I notice the visual beauty first, but next hear the consistent roll of a gentle tide. I feel the rhythm. The ocean is calm here. Terrible for surfing, but lovely for snorkeling and swimming and searching. I walk ankle-deep in the water looking for treasures washed in by the tide: tiny shells, pieces of coral and sea glass. I want to take a bit of the beach home. But what exactly do I hope to find and keep?…
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My Savior’s Love
I hear the piano music before I walk into sacrament meeting with my 13-year-old son. I’m wearing a hoodie, jeans and no make-up. My son, with an incision on his partially shaved head, wears hospital scrubs and pulls an IV pole. A woman with a kind face stands at the door and hands him a homemade fleece blanket. I think: this is what it feels like to be in the Twilight Zone. The familiar hymns remind me of church, but don’t erase the antiseptic smell nor the sterile, white walls of the hospital. I feel the sting of tears as we walk into a small auditorium at Primary Children’s Medical…
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Grateful Hearts and Fertile Ground
We start most of our Thanksgiving celebrations with a game of flag football followed by donuts and hot chocolate. Then home to prep the meal. The side dishes that are Thanksgiving to me are my dad’s stuffing (I’m so glad I made this with him several times so I know how to do it), creamed onions (add homemade cheese sauce to pearl onions — perfect companion to turkey breast) and strawberry pretzel squares (really a dessert, but we serve it as a salad). After dinner, we each add a page to our Great Big Book of Gratitude. It’s fun to reread our blessings and remember who has been with us…
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On Sacred Ground
Anyone who knows me even a little knows two things about me. My family is my orbit and my faith in Jesus Christ is my anchor. My church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and its history are important to me. I’ve experienced most of the U.S. church history sites with my family and have lived near several of them. When we lived near St. Louis, we were 3 hours from Nauvoo, IL. We took visitors 5 times that year. It is a place I love knowing. When we lived near Salt Lake City, UT, we were close to church history sites all over the state. It’s a…
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Vulnerability and Victory in 7 million steps
The alarm went off at 5:15am. I wanted to hit the snooze button and snuggle deeper under the covers. But I didn’t. My husband was stirring, plus our friends would be in our driveway in 15 minutes. Every Friday (rain or shine, snow or ice) for more than 2 years my husband and I threw on tennis shoes and sweatshirts and met Tylee and Larence Searle for a 5-mile walk. In the stillness of all those mornings before the sun rose, we walked over 7 million steps or 28 million if you combine the 4 of us. It started as a way to exercise and quickly morphed into sacred time.…
