Warning! Poetry!

I would hugely appreciate such a warning, as I am incredibly wary of poems. They are dangerous, wily creatures that lie in ambush, lurking stealthily beneath words in my personal scary wilderness. Seemingly restful and innocent, luring me in closer to the stunning flourishes, the polished simplicity, the sweetness of gentle phrases, incredibly lovely to [...]

A Catalog of Hopes and Sins

Some things I hope are true:
1. That I will always have my sense of humor.
2. That when I visit America, my Australian accent will be happily accepted and understood.
3. That my divorce will help my sons have stronger marriages.
Divorce messes with your head. I have spent a depressing chunk of the past two years looking back on the [...]

Playing like a girl

I was a swimmer in high school. Not a very good swimmer, although looking back, I realize that I worked hard and probably had more natural talent than I gave myself credit for at the time. During those years, swim team was all about the music we piped underneath the water (lots and lots of [...]

O Remember, Remember

About a month ago one of our ward missionaries sent me an email explaining that they are getting ready to launch a missionary blog and asking if I would write down my conversion story for them to post.
I agreed, and though I haven’t started writing it yet, I’ve been thinking a lot about it since [...]

My Life’s True Mission

At twelve, I felt the first stirrings of destiny. What plan did God have for me, and how could I follow it? I took German and French, discovering I had a knack for languages. Maybe I’d serve a mission. Perhaps I’d become an ambassador, maybe even feed the hungry masses in India. I loved, loved, [...]

Take a deep breath, and leap!

By the time I hit my teens and had sat through enough Young Women lessons, I had my life pretty well planned out: I’d marry a returned missionary in the temple, graduate from college, have four kids, and stay home with them. Two decades later, my life looks a lot like the plan I envisioned [...]

Declaring War

I don’t know when I decided to be an adult. I suppose there must have been a decision that meant I chose to “grow up”, but I cannot remember what that decision was or when it happened. I know that I am an adult, with the responsibilities and demands that such involves, but how much [...]

To sleep, perchance to dream

I’ve been hired to play the newly installed carillon bells at our church building.
I participated in a focus group and received a million dollars as a gratuity.
I am running up some stairs to get to a class and run into an estranged family member.
I take my lawn clippings to the green waste yard, which has [...]

Find It!

I’ve been in the kitchen making cinnamon rolls this morning. In fact I got so excited about baking this morning that I temporarily forgot that I had signed up for a Segullah post today. My good friend had a baby last week, so in the grand tradition of Mormon women everywhere I am going to [...]

My Father’s Daughter

I remember when I first discovered my dad’s love of poetry. I was struggling with my homework, voicing my frustration with audible groans and sighs.
“What are you working on?” he asked.
“Analyzing poems for English,” I grumbled.
“Which one?”
“‘Thanatopsis’,” I said, convinced that the title alone would elicit sympathy.

Inheritance

I am in love with this poem by Darlene Young:
Inheritance
I got your jewelry, a couple of scarves, and an old dress
I claimed just because it looked like you.
But familiar though the earrings are, the scarf, the dress,
the emerald pin, no matter how I squint into the past
I can’t make out your face and now [...]

Delightsome Follies of Childhood

My favorite short story of all time is “That Kind of Party” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Eleven-year-old Terrence, infatuated with neighborhood beauty Dolly Bartlett, is driven by the headiness of young love to, by whatever means necessary, stage a party in which to play kissing games. He and his sidekick Joe must find a way to rid the [...]

Feast Upon the Word

Last week during a special time of the month for me I cried to my husband about what a horrible person I am. I don’t know if you do this, but I start to feel a bit like a big ball of flaws, with nothing good to offer to the world, no talents, no [...]

Delighting in Fatness

Sobs muffled my voice as I phoned my husband from the doctor’s office, “Is everything OK?” he worried,”Is the baby all right?”
“Yes. Yes. It’s just that I’ve exercised every day, I’ve been following the stupid diabetic diet and I’ve still gained 10 lbs. this month! I’m getting so FAT. What is wrong with my body?”
Silence.
And [...]

How To Be Happy

I live in New York City with my husband and our three children. When people find this out (friends from outside the city) they usually respond in one of two ways:
Option1, “You are so lucky. Do you love it? That’s awesome.”
Option 2, “How long do you have to stay there? I don’t know how [...]

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