Emotional Resilience
This presentation was given in Ogden, Utah in February of 2022. Resources are included here for those who want to download the workbook, or review the material. Enjoy! Workbook- Emotional ResilienceDownload St. George Volcano There is charcoal-colored volcanic rock scattered across St. George. At the very top of Snow Canyon is the remnant of an ancient, and now dead Santa Clara Volcano.Several years ago we gathered our four kids, who...
History in the Making
History in the MakingSeptember 14, 2020 My kids are all at school full time. After 18 years of mothering, it’s the first in a new season of independence for all of us. It’s Monday morning and I have spent some time this morning gathering: gathering my thoughts, gathering my task list, gathering my breakfast, gathering my peace. I am grateful for this time to reflect and prepare for the week. I vacillate in wanting to write...
Flames
We sat under a blanket of stars at Bear Lake. When the lights are all out you can see the mist of the Milky-way and billions of stars. When the bonfire started, the crowd was as raucous as the flames, there was laughter, songs and s’mores. As the volume of the crowd faded, so too did the fire. One by one parents lead their sleepy kids off to bed. Eventually the fire turned into a fallen pile of fuel. When the logs were separated the...
Father’s Day
Dad: Part 1 Tucked away in my treasures is a hand-stitched, silk dress adorning a custom made doll. First sketched in his art books, and then molded from clay and cast with plaster. The paint, despite being 35+ years old encases a deep smooth shine. As a little girl, this doll stood tall on my bookshelf with a wireframe. She watched from afar as I grew from a toddler as a recipient, to a bride, who tucked the other earthly reminders...
2020 Census, Did you catch the pandemic and the earthquake?
This past week I filled out my family’s data for the 2020 Census. I like the feeling of being counted among my people. There have been days not too long ago that I scoured the handwritten census records from 1940 in New York City, looking for clues about my long lost family. Fancy cursive, in worn-out sepia toned ink and faded paper claimed roughly scratched names, including family members and their ages as a timestamp, a mark...
AmeriCANS
True story. Americans are strong. Americans are brave. Americans are faithful. Americans are stalwart and courageous. Americans have survived wars, famine, bombings, economic devastation, civil unrest and natural disasters, but our spirits have never been broken. We have looked after our neighbors and our brothers and sisters for centuries. We are innovative and adaptable. We will get through this. The community dynamics of two weeks...