By Allyson Smith
Toward the end of high school, when I finally resigned myself to the fact that I could not build a university education around intramural volleyball, I began seriously looking for a “career path.” The problem was not a lack of options, but an overabundance. I was interested in, and moderately good at, just about …
By Rebecca Walker Clarke
“YOU NEED TO SHARE.” My refrain to my eldest daughter Eliza is an echo of what my own mother said to me. But while my mother was a solid example of generosity, I am not. I tell Eliza to let her little sister use her things, yet she sees me check the caller ID before …
By Brenda K. Craner Benedict
February 10, 2005 TODAY WAS AS HOT AND DUSTY as the dirt road we traveled. Walking slowly just ahead of us, we saw a woman with her two little girls. The smallest seemed anxious to either be held or be at home to open the sacks that—along with the crying—were weighing on her mother. We caught …
By Elona Knighton
AMONG MY EARLIEST CHILDHOOD MEMORIES was a strong desire to go to the Celestial Kingdom. It was a natural part of being raised in an active LDS family, and I tried hard to be “really good.” However, as I grew older and learned more about what was required, I began to worry. What chance did …
By Melonie Cannon
THE CATHEDRAL ROSE MASSIVELY from its city block like a monolith to tradition and ceremony. I had come to interview for a teaching position at a private Catholic choir school. That summer, I had interviewed for at least twenty teaching positions with no success. I had taken long-term substituting jobs, continued on to graduate school, and …
By Sara G
BETSEY’S BACK ARCHES as the chemotherapy drips into her blood. Transferred to Oncology from ICU, we start this medication the same day as a last ditch effort to save her life. I flee the room, the night she needs me, crying about the pain my one-year-old suffers fresh out of brain surgery, and my inability to …
By Nancy Soper
BUCKETS IN HAND, the boys and I set off to pick blackberries. We’re lucky enough to live near a park with lots of wild growth around the perimeter. The berry canes reached out thorny and threatening, heavy with the succulent fruit. After taking a needed taste to confirm the readiness for picking, we smiled our agreement. …
By Justine Dorton
WAS BARBIE FROM THE TRIASSIC PERIOD? I wondered yesterday as I watched my son and daughter playing together with each of their favorite toys. Barbie and Triceratops were happily frolicking through the den, apparently either married or dating. They were looking for some of Jocelyn’s other Barbies (their offspring?). Once found, they were all picked …