I'm also feeling like this might be the last time I gather lots of articles like this. It was fun for 2016 but I'm feeling like it's time for a change on the blog. So, enjoy! (It's not an epic finish, I'm warning you.)
Stories
I at first labeled this section "faith-promoting," but I feel like that phrase has lost some of its meaning in overuse. But these are stories that offer faith and hope amidst tragedy.
Finding Annie Schmidt -- It is always so inspiring to me to know of people so willing to listen to God. Even when doing something as difficult as this.
Mountain View Credits Higher Power in Saving Lives -- Back in November, a boy stabbed several classmates in the Mountain View locker room. This story hit close to home because I know one of the boys who was in the locker room, so I am glad for the protection that came from angels.
On Losing Our Daugher -- You might make it through this without crying, but likely not. Still worth a read.
Thoughts on Two Baptisms -- This is a sweet story that exemplifies turning the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers.
Michael McLean Opens Up About His 9-Year Faith Crisis -- This was a great read, and it resonated a lot with things I have felt at times, especially on and off over the past few years. Like him, I have really grappled with the thought,
What was I going to say? ‘Hey, all of you who bought my records, just kidding! You are alone. Quit holding on—the light’s not coming.’”
and these feelings have been just as baffling as unsettling. Why on earth would I wonder these things with so many examples of God's goodness staring me in the face all the time? But it can happen, and the key is to hold on and press forward.
Food
On a lighter note, if you, like me, have been on the hunt for the holy grail called the perfect pizza crust and still not found it, this pepperoni pizza roll recipe is a good way to get your pizza fix. And it's fairly fast.
Politics
Okay, there is plenty to say about politics and foreign affairs (oh, Putin, you trouble me), and goodness knows I have read my share of it all. But I forgot to save most of the links. Suffice it to say I think we are headed into an interesting time where we can look at Eastern Europe as a pretty good model for some things. (Actually, if you read President Monson's biography, there's bunches about Eastern Germany which gave me perspective on how the Church might behave during a Trump administration. I don't buy the Trump=Hitler perspective, but I still don't like having a lying, bullying narcissist as commander in chief [pro tip: the more attention you give his Twitter the more power you give him], and I can understand the Church wanting to stay on his good side . . . sigh.)
Anyway, here's the main article that sums up how I feel about political articles these days -- No More Cheap Outrage. I don't think I am particularly guilty of sharing anything incendiary. But, I think I could do better at reading less news. I know that reading more news from a variety of sources makes me more nuanced and compassionate. (Equally important for me developing nuance and compassion is spending time listening in rural Utah, to be honest.) But it is also time I am not reading books. And books last longer than this petition or that editorial or this mild controversy. And at the end of the day, with all the news I read, I still don't know what to think! I don't understand policy all that well. I don't know how to fix things in this country or that.
Sigh. And writing this is convincing me I should keep reading it and staying informed. But maybe if I can predict that a controversy has a half-life of less than two weeks, then I'm not reading about it. Because there's still that Hamilton biography to read.
Books
Lucky for me, I do get to read books sometimes! Joseph loves chapter books these days, and as of yesterday we've finished the first two Little House books.
I still think Caddie Woodlawn is more entertaining than the Little House books if you are looking for 1860s-70s adventures in Wisconsin, but something about this read-through with Joseph has had me totally fascinated. The most interesting character to me has been Caroline Ingalls. In the books, she's portrayed as less fun than Pa, since more of her role is to remind Laura to behave and less to play the fiddle, but she's often laughing and smiling along with them.
And I just sit there in awe at how stoic and happy she is through it all. How did she put up with leaving all her family in Wisconsin and moving to Kansas just because Pa wanted to? How did she manage to feed them all every day without a grocery store nearby? How did she keep things going when she was pregnant? There are subtle things I wonder too looking at the family tree. Why was she married so long before Mary was born? Why was there a gap between Laura and Carrie? Did she ever really get over the loss of her baby Frederick?
And then I wonder about how equal her marriage with Charles was, or really any marriage back then. Laura records nothing but tenderness and good humor between the two of them. But then it also seemed like they moved whenever Pa wanted to. I can think of several authors -- Laura Ingalls Wilder, Louisa May Alcott, and Maud Hart Lovelace -- who wrote at least somewhat autobiographically, and all their parents seemed to have happy marriages. So were they the norm? Or was it just that female writers who wrote children's books came from homes with gentle fathers?
I also wonder why there were no tornadoes while they lived in Kansas.
Okay, there is plenty to say about politics and foreign affairs (oh, Putin, you trouble me), and goodness knows I have read my share of it all. But I forgot to save most of the links. Suffice it to say I think we are headed into an interesting time where we can look at Eastern Europe as a pretty good model for some things. (Actually, if you read President Monson's biography, there's bunches about Eastern Germany which gave me perspective on how the Church might behave during a Trump administration. I don't buy the Trump=Hitler perspective, but I still don't like having a lying, bullying narcissist as commander in chief [pro tip: the more attention you give his Twitter the more power you give him], and I can understand the Church wanting to stay on his good side . . . sigh.)
Anyway, here's the main article that sums up how I feel about political articles these days -- No More Cheap Outrage. I don't think I am particularly guilty of sharing anything incendiary. But, I think I could do better at reading less news. I know that reading more news from a variety of sources makes me more nuanced and compassionate. (Equally important for me developing nuance and compassion is spending time listening in rural Utah, to be honest.) But it is also time I am not reading books. And books last longer than this petition or that editorial or this mild controversy. And at the end of the day, with all the news I read, I still don't know what to think! I don't understand policy all that well. I don't know how to fix things in this country or that.
Sigh. And writing this is convincing me I should keep reading it and staying informed. But maybe if I can predict that a controversy has a half-life of less than two weeks, then I'm not reading about it. Because there's still that Hamilton biography to read.
Books
Lucky for me, I do get to read books sometimes! Joseph loves chapter books these days, and as of yesterday we've finished the first two Little House books.
I still think Caddie Woodlawn is more entertaining than the Little House books if you are looking for 1860s-70s adventures in Wisconsin, but something about this read-through with Joseph has had me totally fascinated. The most interesting character to me has been Caroline Ingalls. In the books, she's portrayed as less fun than Pa, since more of her role is to remind Laura to behave and less to play the fiddle, but she's often laughing and smiling along with them.
And I just sit there in awe at how stoic and happy she is through it all. How did she put up with leaving all her family in Wisconsin and moving to Kansas just because Pa wanted to? How did she manage to feed them all every day without a grocery store nearby? How did she keep things going when she was pregnant? There are subtle things I wonder too looking at the family tree. Why was she married so long before Mary was born? Why was there a gap between Laura and Carrie? Did she ever really get over the loss of her baby Frederick?
And then I wonder about how equal her marriage with Charles was, or really any marriage back then. Laura records nothing but tenderness and good humor between the two of them. But then it also seemed like they moved whenever Pa wanted to. I can think of several authors -- Laura Ingalls Wilder, Louisa May Alcott, and Maud Hart Lovelace -- who wrote at least somewhat autobiographically, and all their parents seemed to have happy marriages. So were they the norm? Or was it just that female writers who wrote children's books came from homes with gentle fathers?
I also wonder why there were no tornadoes while they lived in Kansas.
(Also I confess I skimmed some parts of Little House on the Prairie with Joseph. Sometimes I looked things up and discovered they were probably not true stories, such as several tribes of Indians wanting to kill the settlers, so I figured there was no reason to introduce that stereotype.)
Anyway, these books definitely have helped me try to not be so wimpy about our cold apartment and feeling isolated sometimes. And, when I was sick of our long flight to Utah, I just thought of Caroline spending weeks going from Wisconsin to Kansas instead of hours, so that helped. If she could be happy through all this, maybe I could too!
Anyway, these books definitely have helped me try to not be so wimpy about our cold apartment and feeling isolated sometimes. And, when I was sick of our long flight to Utah, I just thought of Caroline spending weeks going from Wisconsin to Kansas instead of hours, so that helped. If she could be happy through all this, maybe I could too!
Other books . . . while at my parents house, I suddenly found myself finishing David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism. And since then I've been reading Planted by Patrick Q. Mason and The Vision of All by Joseph M. Spencer and A Reason for Faith by Joseph M. Spencer. But it's late so I will maybe talk about all of these another time. It might even be a cohesive post. But probably not. Haha!
And then instead of reading Bands of Mourning while there (my parents own it) I read a chapter of Arcanum Unbounded (which we own) which was not very strategic since I couldn't find Bands of Mourning at the library last time I looked.
and . . . I think I need to branch out of LDS non-fiction and Brandon Sanderson.
This post is long enough, so I will end with one final article.
The Onion -- Once again, the Onion is not very funny, because it is scarily accurate. This sums up every single playgroup I have ever attended everywhere I have lived. And several baby showers, for that matter.
Although, since I'm obviously wandering around with so much random stuff in my head, it's probably safer to just smile and nod!
I've actually really enjoyed these posts!
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