A Divine Eye Roll

You’ve been there. You’re forced to go to a bridal or baby shower long after the stage where they seem fun and exciting (even romantic. I’m gagging. But yes, I thought that, at least about the bridal showers). You play games. You talk about your own wedding. You compare birth stories. You win in the [...]

Refugee Mothering

Natasha Loewen’s mothering post wraps up the UP CLOSE topic of motherhood for May. Natasha lives in central Alberta with her husband, four children, and a large yellow lab. She is starting a 4-year B.A. in English this fall, after a 10-year period of full-time mothering. She recently achieved a goal to have a poem published [...]

Refiner’s Fire

Today’s post is by Catherine Kemeny Gambrell. This piece on motherhood adds to a popular UP CLOSE segment for May. Catherine is an anything-but-stay-at-home mom to the world’s two most beautiful, entertaining, and sleepless children! She currently lives in northern Utah with her seminary teacher husband of 8 years. Together they enjoy hiking, camping, backpacking, cycling, and [...]

Mommy Can’t Be Martha Too

We are pleased to bring you another UP CLOSE motherhood submission by Sandra Reddish. Sandy was raised in southeastern Idaho in the middle of a wheat field near the small town of Ririe, longing to escape to another part of the planet. She divides her crazy life between being a wife, mother of three wild children, [...]

The Blessing and Curse of Being a New Mom

Emily Warner is today’s guest author, writing for our UP CLOSE segment on motherhood. Emily lives on an Air Force base in Northern Japan with her kid-dentist husband and FOUR hyper-active boys. She enjoys mystery novels, 80′s music, making pottery, blogging, sneaking chocolate, and taking long naps. She thinks long walks on the beach are [...]

Wasn’t there supposed to be more to it than this?

Our UP CLOSE topic this month is on motherhood. We are pleased to bring you this piece from guest author Rosalyn Eves. She is a (mostly) stay-at-home mom to two young children, currently living in Southern Utah with her chemistry professor husband. She has a BA in English from BYU and an MA and PhD [...]

The new mormon.org

Have you ever wished that the Church’s poster children looked and sounded and thought a bit more like the Mormons you love? A bit more like the Mormons you identify with? A bit more like . . . yourself? Here’s your big chance.

The Art of the Essay: An Interview with Patrick Madden

I recently reviewed a fascinating collection of essays called Quotidiana, written by author and BYU professor Patrick Madden. Such an interesting conversation with Pat ensued in the comments that I thought it would be a great idea to invite him back and interview him on the topic. Here at Segullah, we’re particularly interested in the [...]

An Oasis in the Writing Desert

I like to write, but I don’t consider myself a writer. I don’t feel driven, and I don’t have a lot of ideas percolating in my head. Sometimes I get into a groove and actually put some words down. Other times I’ll go months without writing out a single thought. I’m still trying to find [...]

A Different Tithing Story

I love tender mercy tithing stories: people paying their week’s grocery money only to find it returned to them somehow, or perhaps paying tithing with Christmas money and then receiving anonymous gifts. I am always moved by those stories, but this is not one of them. When I met my husband, his parents were on [...]

Chasing Rainbows

Today’s UP CLOSE post by Anna Maria Junus falls perfectly into the topic Complexitites of Mothering. Anna Maria is a freelance writer, a full time student majoring in English, the mother of seven and the grandmother of three. She lives in Alberta Canada with her three youngest children (two of them teenagers). She has a published novel [...]

Wanted – Granting of One (Itty-bitty) Wish

A money tree would be nice to have. A dragon would be pretty fun too. I’m not sure about a genuinely magic eight ball, though, because I tend to lose those sorts of smaller things. But you know what I would REALLY like, if a wish was to be granted? I would like a list [...]

Dreams as Spiritual Gifts: An Interview with Barbara Bishop

One of my favorite pieces we’ve ever published is “Dreams as Gifts of the Spirit,” an analysis of dream-related LDS history, doctrine, and practice. I have occasionally experienced powerful dreams myself, and I have always been grateful for the wisdom with which Barbara Bishop, the author (and also my aunt), helps me understand my dreams. [...]

Leaving notes

Recently I chanced upon an article about a dad who has written daily letters to his two children. Robert Guest has been getting up at dawn every school day for the past 15 years to write a note to each of his two children, resulting in thousands of notes later collected from lunchboxes and pockets. [...]

Working Ourselves Out of a Job

I served a mission in place where the church was new. When I arrived the most experience a member had was being a member for 4 years, most had less. Because of this the missionaries served as Branch Presidents and Relief Society Presidents and in every other capacity necessary. My mission president would tell us [...]

Oops, I forgot

If you’ve been waiting all day for your daily dose of Segullah goodness with anticipation building, hoping as the hours went by that we were making you wait for something really good, I hate to be the bearer of bad news. The truth is, I forgot. I hate to forget things, but it seems like [...]

On Turning Eight

This month’s Up Close topic is “The Complexities of Motherhood.” This week’s post is written by Andrea Rediske as she reflects on being the mother of a disabled child turning eight. I am eight years old. My little brother has just been born and there is chaos and confusion at home – relatives coming and [...]

Questions

Today’s UP CLOSE piece is by Emily Falke. Emily lives near Austin, Texas with her fantastic little family consisting of her husband, her daughter, and their really big dog. She relishes the sweet busyness of home life, and she quilts and tutors in her spare time. She blogs at www.memoirsofmotherhood.wordpress.com. Two little blue lines on [...]

A Loser Cruiser? I Beg to Differ.

I’ve been hearing a lot of crap lately about the “uncoolness” of minivans. I put uncoolness in quotes because minivans are, in fact, the coolest cars around. Does the Ford Flex have a button that enables the back doors to slide open? I think not. Does the cute little Mini Cooper have the ability to [...]

You may have this dance.

Dance with Them: 30 Stumbling Mothers Share Glimpses of Grace Edited by Kathryn Lynard Soper Segullah Books, 2010; 230 pages BUY NOW AT AMAZON.COM ~Preview the editor’s introduction ~See the table of contents ~Meet the contributors ~Read a review

It’s just art–don’t be afraid

“Oh, I love the art everywhere!” people often say as they enter my house. You kind of can’t help but notice that all the walls in my house are covered with canvases, often hanging rather crookedly or precariously from the walls, while stacks of paintings in varying stages of doneness line the studio shelves and just about every other surface in my house. “Thanks. [...]

A Socially-Networked Spontaneous Show of Support

I’m drawn AWAY from socially networked efforts to make ourselves seen, even or especially as missionary outreach. I didn’t vote for Joseph Smith or Gordon B. Hinckley in anyone’s internet poll. I wasn’t the one who asked you to Vote for Segullah in the Niblets (though by the way, thanks for doing so.) When we all do the same networked thing it sticks out as fake as it is. I think of computers infected by the same virus that puts them at the command of ~~hackers in China~~ publicists in Mormonland.

Meta physics

I’m going to make this short: Don’t give yourself a hard time about having a hard time when you’re having a hard time. All of us have hard times. And hard times are hard for at least two reasons: the hard thing that’s happening is hard in and of itself, plus it’s also hard to [...]

Call for submissions: May & June Up Close

We need you! Up Close is your chance to share you voice with us. We are currently seeking submissions for May and June Up Close features. May’s topic is Complexities of Mothering. Maybe the seasons of mothering have brought you unexpected surprises. Perhaps it has been more challenging than you thought, or maybe you have struggled in your relationship with your [...]

Who is a bigot?

Calm (because I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong), I bade her a good day and upon her instruction, took two escalators down to the Customer Service desk. Unfettered by a stroller or strict time constraints, I calmly placed the dress on the counter and explained the situation to the clerk. “This doesn’t make any [...]