Could I Leave My Faith

As my father was dying, he begged me to come back to our traditional family religion.  He claimed that since all religions were about the same, it wouldn’t make any difference.  Though I knew it would mean so much to my dad, I didn’t do it.  Why?

To answer, I must go back to my college days.  I lived just down the hill from the University of California at Berkeley.  It was in the late 1960's, the age of Hippies, and “Flower Power”.  Youth were questioning.  They were tired of just being admonished to do as you are told.  They didn’t want to merely follow some traditional religion.  They wanted answers.  They wanted to know the meaning of life.  Some sought “enlightenment” in Far Eastern religions, and some in LSD (not LDS!) drug highs.  For most it was just a “fad”, but for me it was not.

I studied the major world religions and found some truths there.  I looked at Christian religions and found some truth there.  But it was not enough for me.  I wanted more than beliefs that some people had decided would make good guides for life.  I was looking for more.  I wanted truth, what was real.  I was looking for something that felt right.

One day I began to study The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I found again the real God, a loving Heavenly Father, whom I had known as a child until I became lost in all sorts of religious “mysteries”.  I learned that my life had purpose - to learn, grow, and become like my Heavenly Father, and that our Savior could help me reach my full potential.  I had always felt that loving relationships could not just end, and was thrilled to hear that we could continue in families after we left this life.  It all felt right and true.  It felt like I had rediscovered truths that I had always known.

It was like going from candlelight into the sun.  After years of searching, I had found not some man-made set of beliefs, but the truth I was seeking and could never leave.

Why I Became a Mormon

When I was eighteen and living close to Berkeley, California, I was looking for some teachings to guide my life. I wanted a happier life than I'd seen in my family.  I looked into all sorts of religions, even Far Eastern.  Nothing felt right and many of the things they said didn't seem just - such as if you were a little bit better you went to heaven or a little bit worse and you went to hell.  About this time I met a nice girl in a high school summer class, and we became friends. I was very impressed with the love I saw in her family.  I had never seen anything like it before.  I began to ask her questions, and she suggested I talk to some missionaries.  As I read the Book of Mormon, so many questions I had were answered.  Ideas just rang true.  They felt like things I had always known, but had forgotten.  Finally, two years and many, many questions later (I  had to be sure, for I knew this was the biggest decision I would make in my life), I finally joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  My parents weren’t very happy with my decision, but I was.  Through the years, these true principles have helped me to build a happy marriage and a strong family, and to see my health problems as opportunities to grow. I have never regretted my decision one moment.

Being a Dad

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2009-04-005-bad-hair-day?category=topics/fathers&lang=eng

I laugh each time I see this video, but it really says a lot about being a dad. It is more than just providing and protecting your family, though that is important. Dads spend their life trying to meet the needs of their family. 
My dad made life fun for us and taught me so many things. He ran for ages beside me helping me learn to ride a bike, and spent hours teaching me to drive his red VW bug. My husband has always been there to help our children and grandchildren. He helped the kids build things in his shop and led the neighborhood kids in basketball and tag football games. My son-in-law has fancy tea parties with his little daughter, and carries her up mountains so she can come on hikes with him. 

I've been in awe as I've witnessed the sacrifice and love which has made mere men into Dads. 

Reading Scriptures As a Family

As our youngest asks, "Can we have The Reading now?",  we realize that he really enjoys our family scripture reading. We also look forward to reading the scriptures with our children because it gives us a great opportunity to teach them the gospel and assist them in building their testimonies.  There are several things which help us to create this atmosphere for learning and closeness.

One thing we attempt to do is set a casual atmosphere where our children feel our love for them.  So we try to not push them beyond their attention span, expect them to hold perfectly still, automatically understand Old English, or grasp new concepts on their own.  As we relax, our children ask more questions and everyone feels more at ease in sharing personal experiences.  One question frequently asked by our youngest is, "What does that mean in other language?"  The "other" language is words he knows.  As our younger children draw, do a craft, or some other quiet activity, we use questions directed just to them to bring them into the discussion.  We gradually increase their involvement as they mature.  We begin with simple plot questions of "and then what did Ammon do?" and ease into questions which help them discover basic principles in the stories - such as courage and honesty.    Another way we keep our reading time more relaxed and enjoyable is by following our scripture reading with reading from other good books. We are careful, though, to clearly distinguish the "real" scriptures from the "pretend" stories.  This gives us more time together as a family, replaces most TV watching, encourages a love of good literature, and gives the children an extra incentive to remind us to have "The Reading", so we are more consistent.

Appreciation for Fathers

What I remember most about my Dad is how he spent time with me. He lead games and hikes; read comics with all the voices; played the ukulele and sang; mended scrapes and taught me to drive. I'm grateful for my husband who has been a great father.

When is Humor Funny?

I love humor. A lot of patience sprinkled with humor makes life fun! 

A friend sent me a link to a couple of songs from the Broadway smash hit, the musical Book of Mormon. I had to admit that the tunes were catchy and well sung. I also had to agree with her statement, "I would say that though the jabs were made so funny one had to laugh, it was also insulting if you were a Mormon."

My question is whether it is ever ok to "put down", "jab", or insult other people? Should we embrace entertainment derived from hurting others? Think of all the "Dumb Blond", "Pollock", "Fat", "Jewish", etc, etc. jokes. Are they really funny?

What Shall We Give

I just saw this. It makes you think about the little things we can do to help others not only at Christmas time, but all year round. You can also download it free. Beautiful!

"Something Divine" music video

Last night I watched this video on Mormon Channel and thought I'd share it with you. This is what Mormon Channel says about the video and I agree:

"Brooke White sings “Something Divine” to remind us that we are all children of God who has given us talents and responsibilities. “Every star is different, and so is every child. Some are bright and happy, and some are meek and mild.”

But this is more than just a reminder that people are different. Our different strengths, talents, and gifts are God-given. They are an invitation for us to rise up to our potential and use them to bless lives: ours and others.

Secrets of a Happy Marriage -- Common Goals

My husband and I are so different! Yes, having made eternal commitments to each other in a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has helped keep us going and trying over 42 years of marriage. We have, and continue to work at accepting and appreciating each others abilities and weaknesses. This has built a strong foundation to our marriage, but I wonder if it would work without common goals. As it is it is a challenge. He is always off and doing something while I sit and write. We have few interests in common (I try, but I just can't stay awake during a football game), but we do share the same major goals.

I think I would have a very difficult time being married to a person who