MMM Library: Mother's Day Tips & Thoughts

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Mother's Day Tip #1: Don't hide the affection you feel towards the mothers in your life.

Mother's Day Tip #2: Also, don't literally hide the mothers in your life. (no, those kids aren't sitting on a badly-upholstered chair)

Mother's Day Thoughts from MMM Contributors

Thanks, mother, for instilling in me a love of the following: yarn, nature, Matlock, singing German operas in a fake falsetto, bottle caps, hats with feathers in them, stories about owl rescues, Hee-Haw, fake cheese, real cheese, Lehi, Nephi, Nehi grape soda, the town of Lehi, hankies, Fibber McGee and Molly, saying the word "gal," ribbon cutting ceremonies and responsibility. (Bishop Higgins)

To Mother-dear: Thank you for teaching me how to make pie crust, sink my teeth into impossible opportunities and still believe I'm invincible, somehow. I love you. (LJ)

I'm grateful to my mom for showing me that, no matter what is happening in your life: sickness, doubt, adversity, financial ruin, self-righteous ward members, sheer laziness, you get up on Sunday and you get yourself to church. Also, in regards to ward choir, use it or lose it! (My husband wishes I didn't follow that one so faithfully ...) Thanks, Mom! Love you! (May Jones)

The following quote by Robert Brault has been very true of my mother, whether it is my singing, my temperment, or my potential: "A mom reads you like a book, and wherever she goes, people read you like a glowing book review." (Saint Mark)

Moms: Doing what men are incapable of since the beginning of time. Thank you Mom and Wifey! - (Apparent Parent)

Mom, thanks for showing me that creativity, resilience, music, unconditional love, and the gospel can help make me better and happier. (brettmerritt)

It's still as true as when I said it when I was four: I'm glad Heavenly Father sent me to you. Love you Mom. (A-Dub)

Dear Mom: Thank you for The Outermost House, 84 Charing Cross Road, the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, and the courage of my convictions. (Bradly Baird)

Mom: Thank you for being around and interested in every aspect of my life. Love you. (Seattle Jon)

With the perspective of a middle-aged father I can better appreciate your wisdom, patience and self sacrifice which has never wavered and which continually encourages me to be a better person. (MAB)

Many are so lucky as to have a hero in their life, but fortune has given me two, my mother and my wife. (Casey Peterson)

As a parent now I've learned to appreciate even more the activities you did with me and the time we spent together working on various projects. I'll always be grateful for all you've done and continue to do for me. (Pete Codella)

Thank you, Mom, for changing my diapers, educating me, teaching me discipline, providing a comfortable home, cooking great meals, sacrificing your time, surviving my teenage years, cheering me on my mission, loving my wife and kids, and, most importantly, showing me a Christlike example to live up to. I love you! (Dustin)

Thanks for always communicating your love to me as unconditional and for teaching me to value kindness. (Scott Heffernan)

Even though your legs don't work anymore you have managed to come at life with an amazing sense of humor and ability to make the world and everyone in it your friend. Thanks for always loving me for who I am and helping me gain a strong sense of self. You are loved today and everyday. (Aimee)

This post was originally published May 13, 2012.

Say My Name

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by Eliana:

1. Once upon a time, I met an amazing man named Todd. We instantly clicked and spent most of our time together over the next several months. We saw awesome plays, talked on the phone when we were apart, and I even edited his 100 page honors thesis. Good stuff.

Then I met another Todd. This Todd was someone I was interested in Not as a Friend. So I would refer to Todd #1 as “Todd” and the new Todd as “Other Todd.

Then “Other Todd” and I fell in love and he became “Todd” while Todd #1 was relegated, respectfully, to “Other Todd.”

Despite the confusion, both Todds were at my wedding and I ended up getting hitched to the correct one. Years of friendship ensued and since the two Todds were so dramatically different, there was never any confusion on my part. Not so for anyone who asked about what Husband Todd and I did over a weekend and I had to explain that we went to visit Todd. Insert laugh track and sitcom magic could be born.

2. I have a whole theory of child naming that should be a New York Times best seller but probably won’t make it into book form, so I’ll share it with you all. Please don’t write your own book using my genius idea. That would make me cry.

Civil Government Mingled With Prayer

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by Kyle:

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down their ruling in Greece v Galloway, a case dealing with a city council opening its legislative meetings with prayer. In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled that the town of Greece, NY did not violate the First Amendment’s prohibition of an establishment of religion when it allowed residents to give an invocation at the start of its monthly meetings.

You’re probably thinking, “But wait, haven’t towns, states, and even Congress itself been opening meetings with prayer since like that Washington guy?”

The answer is yes, but just because we’ve been doing something for a long time, doesn’t mean that we should keep doing it.

Unfortunately Justice Kennedy doesn’t agree with me, which is fine, because you know he’s like a ton smarter than I am. In his opinion for the majority Kennedy wrote:

From the earliest days of the Nation, these invocations have been addressed to assemblies comprising many different creeds.

These ceremonial prayers strive for the idea that people of many faiths may be united in a community of tolerance and devotion.

Hoarding

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by Reid:

It has happened again.* This time it's the largest coin hoard ever discovered in the USA. A couple walking their dogs stumbled upon another coin hoard on their property in Northern California. Known as the Saddle Ridge Hoard, it contains 1427 coins in total form 1847 to 1894 in total with many being in mint/uncirculated condition.  It may be worth up to US $10 million. Not a bad find for just checking out an old rusty can at the side of the path.

This treasure lay hidden for over 100 years. It's secrets are long forgotten and it's riches heretofore unclaimed. I can't help but think of the account in the Book of Mormon that described how the people would hide their treasures in the earth to try and keep them safe from the Gadianton robbers.  These treasures were lost as "they became slippery, because the Lord had cursed the land, that they could not hold them, nor retain them again (Mormon 1:18)."

These stories lend themselves to teaching moments as much now as they did in the Lord's day.  Jesus introduced the Parable of the Rich Fool with a warning to "beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth."  This man's ground produced in great abundance--so much that he had to pull down his old barns and build bigger ones.  Having secured his wealth, he determined to 'eat, drink and be merry'.

But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God (Luke 12:20-21).

I would love to have a coin from the Saddle Ridge Hoard.  It would probably be a better investment to work on being rich toward God.

*Here are links to some old posts on coin hoards discovered in Israel, Northumberland, UK, and the woods north of London.


Reid is an endocrinologist from Henderson, Nevada. He's blessed with wonderful wife and three great kids. His interests are charitably characterized as eclectic: cycling, fly-fishing, history, travel and the coinage of the Flavian dynasty of Imperial Rome. With a deep-seated belief that people habitually do dumb things, he's trying really hard to keep things positive. People are not making it any easier these days. The gospel has helped a lot. Blog: stunnedbanana.blogspot.com.
Image source: NY Daily News.

Returning with … Difficulty: Missionaries, Going Home, and Macaroni and Cheese

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by Shawn Tucker:

A recently returned missionary attended my Institute class last week, and my heart went out to him. He looked so poorly adjusted and dejected. We had the same conversation that I seem to have with many recently returned missionaries. And, of course, that conversation was about macaroni and cheese.

My 11-year-old loves macaroni and cheese from the box. Thin noodles, often poorly cooked, sauce that is usually too thin, and that orange color that looks like it is made from pulverized Martian soil—my son just eats bowl after bowl of it. In contrast I love a nice homemade macaroni and cheese. Something with a good, full macaroni noodle and with a well-balanced sauce made from white, extra sharp Vermont cheddar. Others like theirs with a nice crust on top or maybe the three cheese sauce, but you get the picture.

I talk about macaroni and cheese from a box and the homemade variety with recently returned missionaries because this describes my coming home experience. I had spent two years with a steady diet of that rich, flavorful, spiritual homemade macaroni and cheese, and all I could seem to get when I got home was the stuff from the box. The spiritual letdown that came with coming home left me feeling hungry for mission life. The post-mission life was thin, starchy noodles in bland, thin, and weirdly colored sauce. After I got home, I took a job delivering pizza, and the irony of going from bringing families the blessings of eternity to showing up with a pepperoni and extra cheese was often painful.

Part of the problem with coming home is how hard it is to feel disappointed around the people you love. I was so glad to see my family and to finally sit with them and enjoy their company. Arriving at the airport back in the United States and seeing them again is something I’ll always cherish. But after being home for some time, I began to feel disappointed in how unsatisfying post-mission life was, and it was hard to feel disappointed around those who are glad that you are home. (I attempted to write humorously about this conflict here.)

Just helping that rather disoriented recently returned missionary understand his experience as a contrast between different forms of macaroni and cheese seemed helpful. At least he didn’t feel so alone in dealing with the challenges of returning home. He and I talked about how it is really impossible to enjoy the fullness of mission-life blessings outside of its required discipline and particular discipleship. It also seemed helpful to remind him that there are times when he can re-taste some of what he felt as a missionary, but it was equally important to help him develop the expectation that such moments are meant to be temporary. He has to go to school or work, and he has to date and watch movies and read books beyond those approved for missionaries. He has to return to the world. If his experience is like mine, he might learn to appreciate the macaroni and cheese from a box for what it is without losing his taste for the wonderful, homemade stuff.


Shawn Tucker grew up with amazing parents and five younger, wonderful siblings. He served as a missionary in Chile during the Plebiscite and the first post-dictatorship election. After his mission, he attended BYU, where he married ... you guessed it ... his wife. They both graduated, with Shawn earning a BA in Humanities. Fearing that his BA in Humanities, which is essentially a degree in Jeopardy, would not be sufficient, Shawn completed graduate work in the same ... stuff ... at Florida State University. He currently teaches at Elon University in North Carolina. He and ... you guessed it ... his wife have four great children. Twitter: @MoTabEnquirer. Website: motabenquirer.blogspot.com.
Image credit: Emran Kassim (modified by Scott Heffernan, used with permission).

Brother Jake Explains: Tithing

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by Brother Jake:



Brother Jake is the caboose of a big Mormon family. He enjoys playing video games and making silly videos. After serving a mission in Peru, he married a violinist, transferred schools, and finished his undergrad at Indiana University. He is currently pursuing a Master's degree in analytics (a dumb word for "statistics") at NC State. He has extremely stretchy elbow skin.

Three Recent Winners of Mormon Literary Awards

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by Scott Hales:

Something is always happening in the Mormon literary world, yet lately it has seemed that things have slowed down on the "literary" fiction front. I know of several authors—William Morris, Steven Peck, Mahonri Stewart, and Douglas Thayer—who have lit fic that is either almost ready to be published or well on its way, but for now, Mormon lit enthusiasts have to sit tight and catch up on what they've missed.

I have my own backlist of Mormon novels to read. Most of them have been sent to me by authors and publishers looking for reviews. The two I'm most excited about right now are Ryan Rapier's The Reluctant Blogger, which I was reluctant to read until everyone I know started recommending it to me, and Jennifer Quist's Love Letters of the Angels of Death, which I also initially blew off until the Deseret News gave it an unfair review that stirred up a small controversy (see here and here). I've already started Love Letters, and I am ready to proclaim it the most beautifully-written Mormon novel since Angela Hallstrom's Bound on Earth.

Also on my to-read list are three recent winners of Mormon literary awards. The first is Sarah M. Eden's Longing for Home: A Proper Romance (Shadow Mountain), a series romance novel that surprised everyone by taking home the Association for Mormon Letter’s 2013 novel award. I know practically nothing about this book, except for Amazon's description of it, so I'm curious to see how it fits in with past award winners like Steve Peck's The Scholar of Moab and Brady Udall's The Lonely Polygamist.

The second is Sarah Dunster's Mile 21 (Cedar Fort), which recently took home this year's Whitney Award for Best General Novel. I've been a big fan of Dunster's work since reading herhistorical novel Lightning Tree last year, and I'm interested to see how she handles the story of a modern-day twenty-something Mormon widow in the always-awkward LDS dating scene. So far reviews of Mile 21 have been good, and it doesn't hurt that it takes place in Rexburg on the BYU-Idaho campus, where I made a lot of good memories back in the day.

Finally, I'm interested in Julie Berry’s All the Truth That's In Me (Viking), the winner of the 2013 Whitney Award for Best Young Adult General Novel. Like Longing for Home, I know next to nothing about this book except for Amazon's description of it. However, my fellow MoLit enthusiast Andrew Hall recently raved about it on a recent episode of The Good Word podcast, and I've been interested in it ever since. Plus, it's a vaguely historical novel about a rigid, secretive community ... which is enough to get me interested.