My Grandpa Fred Blau joined the church as a 17 year old in 1911 in Kansas. Missionaries came to the remote homestead where his family and his uncles’ families had settled after immigrating from Germany. There were no branches or other member families nearby, so the Blaus had church services, as they did everything else, […]

I used to struggle with Mary and Martha. I always leaned toward wanting that “good part” and sitting at the Savior’s feet, but with 11 kids and some demanding callings and an agency to run, I was most often  full of cares and troubled and overwhelmed with the need to serve. For a while I […]

I was sitting behind a family with a busy toddler during Sacrament meeting. The mom was doing her best to focus her little daughter on the Savior during the Sacrament with a small picture book of gospel art. The little one turned to a picture of the risen Lord in white with arms outstretched, and […]

True story; I wasn’t the best Seminary student. I lived in coastal Washington, and Seminary was held early in the morning. Our single class, composed of students from two rival high schools, met at 5:30 am at the church 6 miles from home. Mostly I dozed during the carpool and often did algebra during class. […]

March 8th would have been Geoffrey’s 80th birthday. It seemed odd not to be celebrating it, and phone calls and texts let me know that many of our family were thinking of him and processing their feelings about his death. Some dear friends have lost parents or other loved ones in recent weeks. It has […]

Every once in a while, and too often,  I hear someone say, “I know God doesn’t give us any more than we can handle, but….”  and then go on to describe a really difficult or overwhelming challenge that they’re experiencing.  I usually bite my tongue to keep from challenging that concept so that I can […]

I didn’t really establish a consistent scripture study habit until near the end of my first marriage. I really needed the connection to Heavenly Father then for guidance and comfort. I began by keeping my scriptures on my pillow so that if I hadn’t read by bedtime, I would be reminded. It worked! So it’s […]

I expected to see many unsheltered people in Cairo, as every big city I have been to has many. I certainly saw impoverished people and very humble dwellings, but no one with no place. I asked our guide on the last day in Egypt why we had not seen homeless people despite the high unemployment […]

A detour took me down an unfamiliar street, and suddenly I was passing a church building that triggered vivid memories. We had moved with our first baby into an apartment that was free in exchange for cleaning the other apartments in the building, which were mostly occupied by college students.  In our new ward, someone […]

I’ve just completed a “bucket list” trip to Egypt. It has been wonderful, and has surpassed my imagination. I have learned SO much. Both in Cairo and in Luxor we saw lots of square masonry homes of one, two, or even three stories, with flat roofs that have rows of unfinished columns. In most cases […]