A new year invites both looking forward and looking back. The possibilities of a fresh start are exciting. But without remembering the good and significant things we have passed through, we miss opportunities for understanding and gratitude as we move forward. The ancient Israelites would often use stone memorials or monuments as markers of remembrance. …
There is no question that difficult times arise in our lives. Experiences that take us by surprise, that change our plans, that devastate and confound us. Understandably, we fiercely wish for a miraculous removal of the trial or obstacle. But when removal is not immediate, when we don’t get what we desperately want, I have …
I love to read. A lot. Reaching the end of a great book is always bittersweet. It is wonderful to reach the resolution and the place where everything comes together (books that don’t reach that point are terribly frustrating!) But there is a poignancy in reaching the conclusion as well. Sometimes we just don’t want …
Need is a powerful motivator. When we need, we seek, no matter the cost. But sometimes our lives are smoothly going along and we don’t feel a great need. Nothing pressing or urgent anyway, and we may lose our sense of seeking. Isn’t that one of the themes of scripture-especially the Book of Mormon? When …
As human beings we seem to be made to want happiness. Joseph Smith taught that ‘happiness is the object and design of our existence’ so it must be divinely intended as a pursuit of our lives. Mostly, however, we tend to seek for it badly, or at least in ways that fail to satisfy our …
