quite the party.

Yesterday was so freaking busy. I went on a run in the crisp morning air, before meeting up at a Relief Society activity I put together. Which was supposed to be group yoga, but there were only 7 people there and 3 of us planned the activity. So, that was cool. The 7 of us filled that spacious room right up though, laughing and stretching and loving every minute of it. After a rough morning of yoga, I ran back home to shower before going out with my best friend down here in Utah, Lindsey. We went shopping and grabbed lunch, hung out and just enjoyed each other’s company. She is such a wonderful person and I am so grateful for her. It was a really good time. After shopping, I met up with my boyfriend Lane to make dinner and run errands. I always seem to be running.

Even as I write this, I am in a rush because I have Super Bowl party to get to. Oops.

I had made spaghetti squash chicken alfredo with garlic sourdough bread, which all turned out alright. After dinner and stopping at Bed, Bath, & Beyond, we met up with Lindsey and her husband, Tanis, at the Provo Recreational Center for basketball and swimming. We raced down the slides, taking turns on the faster one and getting wedgies at the end of it. I watched three of my favorite people climb the rock walls and once they reached the top, they looked back and let go, splashing back into the 12-foot deep water. I reflected on how grateful I am for them until they encouraged me (lovingly, mind you) to try the wall myself. I pretended to try but my lack of strength prevented me to do so. We floated around the little lazy “river” and teased each other with juvenile play of hide-n-seek. We relaxed in the hot tub, giggling amongst ourselves at the other couples groping each other within mere feet of us. I felt like a child again and I loved it. When we all left, Lane and I obviously needed to go to Taco Bell, then we went back to his place and played card games until I could no longer keep my head up. He drove me home in the dark, both of us deliriously tired, but wonderfully satisfied with our day and our relationship. After meetings this morning before church, a quick nap before sacrament meeting, we are now heading to watch the Super Bowl. I’m from Seattle and he hates the Seahawks. It’ll be quite the party. Or something like that...

The Things of My Soul

     "And upon these I write the things of my soul." I read the words beautifully engraved upon the small blue journal as I stood in the bookstore, carefully holding it in both my hands. I knew right then that this was the journal I would take back home and do just as the words read: write the things of my soul.
     I began my first diary at the age of nine and ever since then I have kept one. It was three years ago that I found the perfect journal that put into words my exact feelings on journal writing. It is upon my journals and only there, that I, without holding back, pour out the things of my heart. My fears, my dreams and hopes, my anxieties, my accomplishments, my failures, the things I'm ashamed of, the people I love, the people I've hurt and those who've hurt me, crushes and boys, new life and death as well, my joys, my pains, all these things I write. But above all else, I write the things of God: my love for Him and my Savior, my testimony of the gospel and how much I delight in the scriptures.
    And when I go back and read my words, they are a comfort, for every now and then, I find messages of encouragement, words of forgiveness and strength that I purposefully wrote to myself so that when I went back to read my past I could keep my faith and do better in the present.
    My journals, the words of my heart and soul, are precious and of great worth to me. They are the legacy that I wish to inherit to my children and grandchildren in hopes that they may find within their pages comfort, wisdom, and the love of God.

My Mom's Journal

So back in high school I thought my parents were super lame. I know a bit typical! So one day I found my mom’s journal in our storage room. It was one of her journals from high school and I don’t remember much about what it said.  I do remember that I realized my mom was young once. She had challenges. I did not know much about her childhood. I really only heard that she was a perfect daughter and had perfect parents. Which I could never live up to. 

In her journal, I remember, she wrote about an argument she had with her dad. She had wanted to go to a school dance that was a couple days before her 16^th birthday. Back in those days everyone took a date to dances so she could not go until she turned 16.  It was so close and her mom was willing to make an exception but her dad utterly refused to let her go and she was very upset with him.

I had a difficult time growing up with my parents. They had some issues and my relationships with my parents needed help. I am happy for this occasion, as I was able to relate to my mom a little better.  We are not a perfect family but we do love each other. We now talk every week even though we are miles and miles away. I am grateful for a mother who wrote in her journal without knowing that her future daughter would one day find it, read it, and  

be comforted.

Additional ideas for "My Mormon Literary Life"

I'd like to give some additional prompts to you as you consider how you might compose your miniature personal essay about your Mormon literary life (see the assignment post, here).

• Journal writing / reading
  How has this shaped your spiritual life? (Even when not writing about religious activities or explicitly about Mormon belief)? Has re-reading your own journal, or reading the journal of a relative, been a reflective and spiritual occasion for you? Have you felt a sense of identity with others who are not you but somehow like you?
• Letters
  As you've composed letters or email messages, or as you have received these, how has this been part of your religious or spiritual life? (Again, even if not directly associated with something like letters to/from missionaries, though that's okay)
• Poetry / Creative Writing
  Such writing need not have anything to do with your religious or spiritual life, but it can. Has this been the case with you -- either in reading poetry or composing it?
• Lyrics
  Do you write lyrics, memorize lyrics, share lyrics? Of course the texts written for hymns are a kind of lyrical poetry, but a lot of people are immersed in contemporary music (whether religious or LDS or not) and attach a lot of personal and emotional significance to such lyrics. Has this been the case with you?
• Reading history (personal, family, or church history; history in general; historical fiction).
  History can be pretty dry stuff and far away from your beliefs or spiritual feelings. But sometimes we connect powerfully with the past by way of a written history (or even historical fiction). Has this been the case for you?
• Plays
  In viewing, acting in, or even writing plays, have you felt connected to others (in the audience, in the cast, or even to the characters portrayed in the play)? Ever been involved in a church-sponsored dramatic activity?
• Social Media
  We don't think of this modern form of communication as literature, and much of it is superficial (or isn't even text-based). But if you've been involved in sharing your beliefs, even in very informal ways among your close online connections, this is a kind of literary experience with your religion. If you blog, have you blogged about your religion?