On Raising Mystical Creatures
For as long as I can remember, young boys, to me, were mystical creatures, often devious in nature. The full content of this post is available to subscribers. Subscribe now or log in!
Category: Essay
Jane Mormons
These weren’t Jack Mormons or Cafeteria Mormons; they were something else. The full content of this post is available to subscribers. Subscribe now or log in!
Whose Body is This?
Before I even knew what sex was, my body belonged to my future husband. It was a temple for God’s spirit, a tool for His purposes, a gift to my husband, who would be the leader in my home and the only way I’d qualify to be with God again. The full content of this post is availabl…
Dear Mormon Parents
I’ve written and rewritten this letter in my mind at least one hundred times. Sharing my hard-fought beliefs regarding topics you hold most sacred is, frankly, heart-dropping. The full content of this post is available to subscribers. Subscribe now or log in!
Passing through Sorrow
I felt the flame of my faith flicker against an unexpected current. The full content of this post is available to subscribers. Subscribe now or log in!
The Organist: Movement One
Heart thumping when the organist flips through the pages of her hymnal to prepare her prelude. I tell my mother I feel a rumble inside me, that I need to be closer. The full content of this post is available to subscribers. Subscribe now or log in!
My Conversion in the Nirvana Shrine
Why did Kurt Cobain’s music speak to my daughter in a way nothing else did? The full content of this post is available to subscribers. Subscribe now or log in!
Rumspringa
In Amish communities, there is a cultural practice known as Rumspringa. The full content of this post is available to subscribers. Subscribe now or log in!
A Casket Story
It’s a shame my casket can’t be on display before it goes into the ground, but we already have a coffee table and a chest to hold blankets … The full content of this post is available to subscribers. Subscribe now or log in!
Redefining Adventure
For years, I thought I had settled for a smaller life, that I’d missed my shot, and my best adventures had passed me by. The full content of this post is available to subscribers. Subscribe now or log in!
My Body, Her Echo
My body is not an enemy. It is a good body and really, all I have. The full content of this post is available to subscribers. Subscribe now or log in!
The Hummingbird in My Freezer
I began to wonder on a spiritual level if this exquisite, flawless, tiny thing, and all of God’s sentient creatures for that matter — including myself — have enough self-awareness to have torpor-like moments. The full content of this post is available to subscribers. Subscribe no…
Thoughtful Women: The Art of Making Plans
As I continue to age, I hope to be intentional. I plan to embrace Mary’s and my grandma’s examples, and hope that you will catch me Swedish death cleaning, making my own funeral arrangements, and dancing in the front row at Zumba. The full content of this post is available to sub…
“What did you get for question seven?”
I wonder if, in a desire to avoid comparison, there has also been a loss of solidarity. Has minding our own business left other people feeling like they’ve missed a map or answer sheet that everyone else seems to have? The full content of this post is available to subscribers. Su…
Gratitude for Time to Learn
There is so much to know. Aging has helped me learn things I could have learned in no other way. The full content of this post is available to subscribers. Subscribe now or log in!
Caretaking
Yet no class or algorithm or podcast showed me how to be a caretaker to aging parents. In some ways, caretaking for children and elderly is the same. The full content of this post is available to subscribers. Subscribe now or log in!