life in color

I spent the weekend camped out in the church building with eight girls, ages 12-18. Together we read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover in 24 hours (pausing only for a four hour snooze and some food/yoga breaks). To be completely honest, when the other leaders first invited me to participate, I hesitated. I thought of the migraine that would surely come without adequate sleep. I thought of all the other things I could get done over the weekend. I didn't think of Christ. I didn't think of the relationship I would build with Him as I read His words. I didn't think of the love I would develop for His young daughters as we sat cross-legged on the floor. I didn't think of the sweet spirit that would enter my heart. I didn't think of the life-changing experience I would have. We read the Book of Mormon like a novel instead of like a textbook. I enjoyed seeing how the characters all connected. I enjoyed reading about their lives. They were real people who...

On Sunday night, I read about a fatal shooting at an LDS church building in Nevada. The news hit particularly close to home, as earlier that same day I also sat in a chapel singing hymns with my brothers and sisters in Christ. I can't imagine having my peace shattered with the crack of a bullet. And this act of violence doesn't even scratch the surface of the tragedies that occur every day. With the constant stream of bad news, it's difficult not to lose faith in humanity or to lose faith in God. It's difficult to avoid becoming cynical, numb, or hardened. These feelings (or the lack thereof) are often likened to having a hard heart. In the scriptures, people who are rebellious against God are described as having hard hearts, but I believe our hearts can be hardened by more than just sin. Health issues, failed relationships, corrupt politicians, loss of loved ones, financial difficulties, and mistreatments by others can all cause our hearts to be hardened. Lif...

Former LDS Young Women General President Elaine S. Dalton frequently shared her favorite saying, "Whate'er thou art, act well thy part." That phrase inspired the thoughts I shared with my church congregation back in August 2013, which I have repurposed to share with you. We all have different "parts" that we play in the world. Our parts may be professional:  doctors, lawyers, teachers, politicians, librarians, janitors, or secretaries. Our parts may be religious: bishops, missionaries, Sunday School teachers, or ministers. Our parts may be familial: mothers, fathers, brothers, daughters, cousins, aunts, and grandfathers. At this stage of my life, I am called sister, aunt, daughter, granddaughter, daughter-in-law, wife, sister-in-law, friend, student, writer, Mia Maid adviser, and volunteer. But my most important title will always be daughter of God.  Knowing and understanding this title--and wearing it proudly--impacts me daily. As I come to understand m...

As we just celebrated Fathers Day, I wanted to give a special shout-out to some of the wonderful dads and father figures in my life. My dad - June is a special time because we get to celebrate my dad twice: for Fathers Day and his birthday. We really should celebrate him every day because as far as dads go, he’s the best. He is patient, selfless, and gentle. He’s always smiling and ready to serve others, especially his kids. My dad taught me how to do math problems and how to ride a bike. He pulled teeth, coached my failed softball career, and watched countless show choir competitions. When I would come home from a late-night practice or from a friend’s house, I would often find our manual garage door already opened, awaiting my arrival. In those small moments, I knew my dad loved me. My father-in-law - One cool part about getting married is your family grows, and two years ago I gained an amazing new dad. My father-in-law is one of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet. He ...

Photo by  Paul Hanaoka  on  Unsplash Recently, many LDS teenagers participated in a week-long social media fast after being challenged by President Russell M. Nelson. I felt inspired to join in (maybe because I look like a youth), and I had a great experience. Here are a few things I learned: 1. Even without social media, I still waste a lot of time . Instead of scrolling through Instagram, I watched YouTube videos, looked at Riverdale memes, and read movie reviews. Removing social media from my life is not enough; I must actively replace the activity with something else. 2. I didn't miss it . I thought that seven days without social media would be difficult. But it wasn't. I thought I would it would bother me not knowing every engagement, vacation, and baby milestone on my Facebook feed. But it didn't. I thought I would habitually open the Twitter app. But I didn't. I think it helped that I turned off all notifications. I think I might keep the notifications o...

Photo by  Alexander Possingham  on  Unsplash "Mom?" I whisper into the darkness. Silence. Then the rustling of the sheets as she rolls over in bed. "What is it, Maggie?" she responds. "I can't sleep." "What's wrong?" "Nothing. I just can't sleep." "Crawl back in bed and shut your eyes. Even if you can't fall asleep, you'll still be getting much-needed rest." "Okay. Goodnight, Mom." The other night I had a hard time falling asleep. I don't know if it was the jitters of moving or if I simply binged too many Supernatural episodes that day. Either way, my mind was racing. I listened to every car drive by, every creak of the house, my husband's steady breath. All the while, my mind raced. As I stared at the ceiling, I thought of my mom's advice: Crawl back in bed and rest. As much as I wish that every night I could instantly fall into deep REM sleep and dream of sun...

In one of Christ's most famous sermons , He told His disciples, "Blessed are they that mourn." Truthfully, I found these words a little unsettling. Can we only receive blessings through intense suffering? If life is going well, do I need to seek trials to be a true disciple? I've been pondering this topic for months, and I finally feel like I have an answer that works for me. When Christ suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, I believe that He felt each one of our pains: from heartbreak to stubbed toes to appendicitis. He experienced every moment in which we feel embarrassed or upset or alone. He went through all this to be able to understand us perfectly. With that understanding, He is able to succor us, comfort us, and strengthen us. We are commanded to become like Him, which means we too must succor, comfort, and strengthen others. But we may not have experienced imprisonment, anorexia, cancer, addiction, sexual assault, or depression. We may not be a minority...

Adding up how many hours you've spent on social media in a week is like counting calories on Thanksgiving -- you'll just feel bad about yourself. I'll be the first to admit that I spend way too much time on social media. I enjoy staying connected with others, sharing the happy moments in my life, and having a mindless activity to do when I'm bored or stressed. But I want to be better. I want to limit my social media consumption. However, sometime that's hard, especially when my homework is literally to post on Instagram. So instead of limiting time, I want to better utilize the time that I'm already spending on social media. I want to be proactive and mindful in my social media consumption. I don't want to open the app just to get rid of the notification or to watch every cat video just because I'm bored. I want to scroll with a purpose. That purpose could be to read the news, find an uplifting quote or video, post for homework, find an event n...

Today is International Women's Day, so I felt it was appropriate to write my thoughts about a topic that's been on my mind. In Luke 10 , we read about when Christ visited the home of Mary and Martha. Both women sit at His feet to listen to His teachings. At one point, Martha gets up to cook dinner, while Mary remained. After working in the kitchen for a while, Martha is likely hot and tired and stressed (because, um, the SAVIOR OF THE WORLD is in her house and she doesn't want to feed him burnt Ramen noodles). Frazzled, she calls out Mary for not helping. Christ hears these comments and lightly reprimands Martha for her comments. We often use this story to illustrate the importance of placing spiritual things over temporal, but I'd like to use it to emphasize a different point. First off, I don't think Christ minded that Martha left His feet. He was likely familiar with the family, maybe even close friends with them. He knew Martha's personality and that s...

I've been out of the dating game for a while now, and to be honest, I don't miss it much. It's hard to bear your soul to someone only to find out your personality, hopes and dreams don't match someone's checklist. I've heard of possible relationships going south for a variety of reasons: "He's just not tall enough." "She wants a career and that intimidates me." "He didn't serve an LDS mission." "She has an annoying laugh. I couldn't get past it." "He made some poor choices as a teenager, and that really bothers me." There isn't anything wrong with striving to find the best partner. However, I find it detrimental to judge individuals based on societal, cultural, or even personal ideals. In the New Testament, we read about Joseph. I'm sure that he had fantasized about his future wife and the life they would lead: They would marry and live in the house that Joseph built. They woul...

I am taking a New Testament class from Hank Smith, a religious educator and prominent youth speaker. For an assignment, we read about the historical background of the New Testament. From my reading, I learned that Israel, a common word in the Bible, means "one who prevails with God." I looked up the definition of prevail and discovered that is has three definitions: 1. Prevail - to persuade someone to do something To be part of the House of Israel, we must give our will to God. We must let our Heavenly Parents guide us in our lives and persuade us to do good. 2. Prevail - to exist, to be prevalent We exist because our Heavenly Parents created us in Their image. We exist because They wants us to become like Them. To achieve Their plan for us, we must exist with Them. They must be prevalent in our lives. 3. Prevail - to prove more powerful than the opposing forces Evil exists in our world. It strives to influence our choices and our viewpoints of the world and our...

Christmas has come and gone, and it's back to the work and class grind. I enjoyed making memories with family and feeling the spirit of giving that comes each December. I've taken some time in the days following December 25th to reflect on the birth of our Savior. We talk frequently of His life, ministry, and atonement, but we don't focus as much on His birth -- except at Christmastime. I find it remarkable that Christ, who led legions of angels and created worlds without end, left His throne at the right hand of God to come to earth as a baby. A helpless little baby. He who gave direction to so many mortals came to receive direction from two imperfect human beings. Though He was all-powerful, as a baby He was wholly dependent upon Mary and Joseph. Not only did He experience a mortal birth, but He was born among the most humble of circumstances. The Prince of Peace's first experiences in mortality were among dirty hay, manure, and noisy livestock.  I wo...