Segullah

Mormon women blogging about the peculiar and the treasured

Politics and Religion

For reasons that I don’t entirely understand, I am interested in politics. I didn’t grow up in a particularly political household, and I’m not a very partisan person by nature. (Certain of my friends and family would disagree with me here, and I admit I’ve started leaning more to one side as the years wear [...]

Consequences

The other day my husband visited a Dunkin’ Donuts. Inside the store was a class of preschool kids who appeared to be around three years old, accompanied by their two teachers. The kids were all sitting very quietly, apparently waiting patiently for their treats, and my husband was impressed by their good behavior. “Lucky group [...]

Looking for a Book Club Pick? Try Sarah Dunster’s Lightning Tree

I was introduced to Sarah Dunster’s fiction when she won Segullah’s fiction contest in early 2011. “Back North,” Sarah’s contest entry (which you can read here) was lively, smart, and compelling. Its main drawback? It was a novel excerpt, not a short story, and I wanted more. Soon after notifying Sarah about her win, she [...]

Female Friendship at Forty

I’m a female who needs other females. Although I’m blessed to have a husband who’s done a bang up job filling the role of best friend for more than two decades, he can’t (and shouldn’t, imo) fulfill every need I have for companionship, sociability, understanding, sympathy, or fun. Even Angeline Jolie — a “girl-who-isn’t-friends-with-other-girls” stereotype [...]

Perfect People Not Allowed

A few weeks before Christmas I drove past a cozy-looking Protestant church in my neighborhood. I noticed a colorful banner staked into the ground — “Perfect people not allowed!” it read — and I felt a yearning tug in my heart. It had been a tiring month, emotionally and physically, and the idea of walking [...]

A Good Book for Christmas

One of my favorite gifts to give (and get) at Christmastime is a good book. Although I realize that the more organized among us have already finished their Christmas shopping, I’m guessing some of you are like me and still have some holiday scrambling to do. I’m hoping that I can share some of my [...]

Mormon Lit Blitz Call for Submissions

Segullah is not a sponsor of the following literary contest, but we’re more than happy to spread the word. If you have a killer 1,000 words? Send ‘em in! It might win you a Kindle. And Mormon literary fame. CALL FOR CONTEST SUBMISSIONS Now announcing the first ever Mormon Lit Blitz Writing Contest. Send up [...]

Early Morning Seminary

I’ve been teaching early morning seminary for a few months now, and so far I’ve learned a few things: 1-I truly believed before I started teaching that I could get all my prep work done if I gave myself an hour a day. I look back on those innocent days of summer, and I laugh [...]

Boo Humbug

For many many years, I was ashamed to admit this, ashamed that it would reveal me as a party pooper or (worse) an uptight reactionary or (even worse) a selfish adult who can’t enjoy a holiday that’s mostly geared toward children (except when it’s geared toward grown women wearing “sassy” Minnie Mouse costumes, or, you [...]

An Offender for a Word

Many years ago, a woman I visit taught asked to have me removed as her visiting teacher. I shouldn’t have known about this, of course — the visiting teaching shuffle is almost always a hush hush affair, especially if specific requests for change are involved. But I had an inkling that my visiting teachee wasn’t [...]

Segullah’s Book Club Discussion: The Year My Son and I Were Born

Today for Segullah’s book club we are discussing The Year My Son and I Were Born, written by our very own Kathryn Lynard Soper. This memoir takes us through the first year of Kathy’s life with her son, Thomas, who was born with Down syndrome. Although the book takes as one of its subjects the [...]

Discussion Questions for The Year My Son and I Were Born

Tomorrow, Friday, August 26th, we will be discussing The Year My Son and I Were Born, written by our very own Kathryn Lynard Soper. This memoir takes us through the first year of Kathy’s life with her son, Thomas, who is born with Down syndrome. Although the book takes as one of its subjects the [...]

Postponing the Discussion of Kathy Soper’s The Year My Son and I Were Born

So the plan was to discuss our very own Kathy Soper’s fabulous memoir, The Year My Son and I Were Born, for our book club today. But summer has gotten away from me and now I find myself away from home on vacation, squeezing time between trips to the cabin and visits to the Bountiful [...]

Remembering Chieko Okazaki

Sister Chieko Okazaki, a beloved LDS leader, teacher, writer, and speaker, passed away on Monday, August 1st. She served as First Counselor to Relief Society President Elaine L. Jack from 1990 to 1997, but her influence was lifelong and wide-ranging. Chieko’s service in the General Relief Society presidency occurred during a particularly formative time in [...]

The Tyranny of Stuff

A quick reminder: Segullah’s book club will be discussing The Year My Son and I Were Born by our own Kathryn Lynard Soper next month, on Thursday August 18th, so get reading! Now on to the post. Over the last few weeks, the stuff I own has been stressing me out to a particularly lamentable [...]

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