The Uniqueness of the Mormon Novel

The Mormon novel had a bit of a rocky start. Nephi Anderson's book, Added Upon, one of the first novels in this genre, is far from a literary masterpiece. The characters are underdeveloped and there's a lot in the novel that would confuse non-LDS readers; however, it was a start and from that beginning the Mormon novel has grown in interesting, unique ways that have broadened its audience and increased its impact as a genre.
The LDS genre contains a wide variety of novels from Jenny Proctor's overtly Mormon, contemporary novel, Mountains Between Us, to Luisa M. Perkins' paranormal, young adult novel, Dispirited. These two books are as different in content and approach as two books could possibly be. Proctor's novel tells the story of Eliza Reading and Henry Jacobson, two employees at a rehabilitative boarding school for youth, that are facing a lot of serious problems in their lives ranging from divorce to alcoholism to identity struggles. Perkins' novel, on the other hand, tells the story of Cathy, a young girl who gets sucked into a world of spirits where she has to help her step-brother's soul return to his body from which he's been displaced by a terrible creature. These books sound nothing alike and yet they share a common thread, they are both Mormon novels written by Mormon authors which means they both contain Mormon doctrines and beliefs exhibited in their themes.
For Mountains Between Us this is a lot more obvious. The main characters are both Mormon and base their actions on their beliefs. For Dispirited the connection isn't as obvious but it's still there. The book carries a strong theme of family history and the connection between ancestors and descendants, something that plays a huge part in LDS doctrine.
These two novels are just the tip of the ice burg when it comes to the variety found in the LDS genre. The genre also includes Orson Scott Card's fantastical worlds and Kenny Kemp's personifications of Christ's really life. This variety is one of the best traits of these novels, that they come in such a variety of forms. This enables them to reach a wide selection of people, LDS and non-LDS alike, who can learn and grow from the LDS perspectives included in these novels.
Given this trait of variety, the Mormon novel potentially has a bright future. Mormon novelists don't allow themselves to be limited by convention or a set definition, allowing them to write in order to appeal to all audiences. With this variety, the Mormon novel will continue to grow and impact a wide range of people, making it the literary genre that Orson Whitney once called for when he said "Make books yourselves that shall not only be a credit to you and to the land and people that produced you, but likewise a boon and benefaction to mankind." These books, that once started with a strictly LDS audience, have grown and will to continue to grow to encompass more and more people from all walks of life, enabling them to connect as Mormon beliefs are shared in writing.

Picture from Wikimedia Commons

Jer3miah: It Has Potential

The video series The Book of Jer3miah tells the story of Jeremiah Whitney, a freshman in college whose world is turned upside down when he becomes involved in a conspiracy theory and learns of his religious/supernatural purpose in life. The series consists of multiple video clips, each about five minutes long, that tell Jeremiah's story in short segments. The video series is filmed from a hand-held video camera, giving the impression that the video is being "told" from the perspective of which ever character is holding the camera. It's a unique idea with a lot of potential; however, it still has a lot of bugs to work out.
I've never watched a web series before so I was not prepared for or used to the short clips and segments Jeremiah's story was told in. It made the story feel choppy and disconnected as each segment ended. This caused jumps in the plot line and there were times when I felt I'd missed something when in reality it was just the end of one episode and the beginning of another.
A big problem with the series for me was its lack of character development. From the beginning of the series bad things start happening to the main character and yet, I don't know why I should care. Within the first ten minutes of the show Jeremiah has found out his birthday is actually in April as opposed to December and his parents are both killed. While these are shocking events, I don't know enough about Jeremiah to care about the fact that his world is no longer what it seemed. I want to know the characters better so I can understand what is going on and its impact on the characters.
One thing that did, to some degree, help with character development was the the shifting of the camera from one character to another. Seeing what different characters focused on as they recorded showed me their personality which helped me get to know them and start to connect with them. However, this base is not strong enough to carry an entire web series.
Overall, I think the web series had a few issues, but it was unique and attention grabbing at its attempt to do something new. It's laid the foundation for similar efforts in the future that will potentially have less bugs and carry the concept of an LDS sci-fi web series even farther.

Image from Pixabay.com

Family History: A Reoccurring Theme in the Book of Mormon

Recently I have become more interested in family history work. I used to roll my eyes as my grandma told yet another story of some long deceased ancestor I'd heard about countless times. In my mind family history was for old people and my ancestors had little to do with my present life. However, I slowly began to gain more interest in my genealogy as I realized just how important knowing your ancestors can be. Roots, in the form of ancestors, can play a significant role in determining identity, a fact that prophets in the Book of Mormon were well aware of as evidenced by the repeated resurfacing of the theme of family history throughout the book.
The importance of family history is first introduced in First Nephi when Nephi and his brothers are sent back to Jerusalem to get the plates from Laban. We learn that these plates contained scriptures that would be essential for Nephi's descendants to learn the truth of the gospel. However, in 1 Nephi 5:14 we also learn that the plates contained the genealogy of Nephi's family." Nephi's father, Lehi, finds "upon the Plates of Brass a genealogy of his fathers; wherefore he knew that he was a descendant of Joseph."
In my opinion the cool part here is not just the fact that they learned their family history, but that through this family history Nephi's family was taught something important. Later in the verse Nephi goes on to write that Joseph "was preserved by the hand of the Lord that he might preserve his father, Jacob, and all his household from perishing with famine." In learning his heritage Nephi learns, not only who he's descended from, but also the role of the Lord in the lives of his ancestors. Through his ancestors Nephi receives a confirming witness to his faith.
This theme of lessons through genealogy appears multiple times in the Book of Mormon and, up until recently, I'd never noticed it before.

Comparing Characters: Moroni and Amalikiah Revised

The Book of Mormon is filled with memorable people from all walks of life. There’s Nephi, the strong, faithful, younger brother who’s always being picked on by his older brothers. There’s Korihor, the anti-Christ who asked for a sign and lost his voice as a result. There’s Abinadi, the prophet who had enough faith in the Lord that he refused to deny his testimony and was killed. There’s Alma the Younger, the rebellious son who changes his ways.
One of my favorite people in the Book of Mormon has always been Captain Moroni. He was a courageous man who wrote the Title of Liberty and led the Nephites to victory against the Lamanites on multiple occasions. You can't get much better than Captain Moroni. I mean, not many people can be described like he is in Alma 48:17: "Yea, verily, verily say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever."
Talk about a great guy! I personally wouldn’t mind meeting or being compared to Captain Moroni.
Unfortunately, not everyone is like Moroni. Around the same time we meet Captain Moroni, we also meet Amalickiah, a wicked, former Nephite who uses deception and trickery to become king of the Lamanites. Amalickiah is described as being "a man of cunning device and . . . of many flattering words" (Alma 46:10) and "a very subtle man to do evil" (Alma 47:4).
In other words, not a great guy; in fact, a very bad guy.
Though I've read the Book of Mormon many times, during my most recent reading I noticed something new concerning these two individuals. One of the most righteous men and one the most wicked men in the Book of Mormon are discussed simultaneously, contrasting the two. The Book of Mormon switches back and forth between Amalickiah's actions and Captain Moroni's actions, showing their similarities and differences.
Amalickiah and Captain Moroni are similar in that they both use strategy to accomplish their goals. They're both powerful leaders and they lead armies into battle. They're both Nephites and highly persuasive.
However, they also have some very distinct, important differences. Captain Moroni follows the prophet. Amalickiah is a dissenter. Captain Moroni is righteous and fights for the freedom of his people. Amalickiah is wicked and fights for power and his own selfish gains. (In literary words, these two are a foil to each other).
In comparing these two I saw in a new way the power that one righteous man (Captain Moroni) can have and the power that one wicked man (Amalickiah) can have. Moroni led his people to victory and protected their freedoms. Amalickiah led his people to death and destruction, his own life being taken on the battle field as he attempted to overthrow the Nephites.
And I learned all of this through simple comparison.
It’s a comparison that I think can be applied to other portions of the Book of Mormon. I can’t wait to see what more I can learn by contrasting foils like Alma and Korihor or Nephi and Laman and Lemuel or Nephi and Laban or Abinadi and Noah. What more can foils teach us? I guess we’ll have to study the Book of Mormon to find out.

Statue of Captain Moroni by Josh Cotton; Image from Wikimedia

"UTopia" With Snakes, Apples, and Iagos

Laura Nielson Baxter's poem, "UTopia," begins with two questions: "Have you ever heard / of a flawless paradise? / Who would tell about it?" The questions serve to grab the reader's interest, forcing them to pause and consider what it means for a place to be perfect, flawless. From these questions she moves on to state, "There's not much of a story there: / 'Life's Perfect, The End.'"
This statement grabbed my attention for two reasons. First, most people wish for a perfect world. They believe that if God is perfect and created the world, then the world should be perfect. However, that's not how God works for a very good purpose, which leads me to my second reason: good stories need conflict.
I'm currently taking a fiction writing class in which we've discussed what makes a good story. One of the key components is conflict. Without conflict a story is flat and shows no growth or progress on the part of the characters. In this poem, Baxter uses the idea of the need for conflict to point out that in a perfect world there is no conflict which means there is no growth. If there is no growth, the purpose of life is undermined. This sums up why the world isn't perfect, despite the fact that is was created by God. The world isn't perfect because we need to grow.
We as LDS people believe that there must be conflict or opposition in all things in order for the plan of salvation to work. There must be an opposite so that we can struggle, grow, and progress towards exaltation. This is why the world contains "a snake," "an apple," "heathens," "Pandora's Box," and "Iagos." We need conflict as personified in these allusions to the Bible, Greek mythology, and Othello illustrate. Without opposition, there is no purpose to life.
It's an important concept to understand and this poem presents it in a unique way that allows the reader to ponder on their personal perceptions of the world and why it has flaws.

Picture from pixabay.com

The poem that stood out to me during the listening section of this assignment was "Close" by Amber Watson. I did not particularly like the poem, but listening to it made me notice the alliteration in the poem and how it worked to create a gasping like sound similar to one who has injured themselves. I would have missed that if I'd only read the poem silently.

Comparing Characters: Captain Moroni and Amalickiah

One of my favorite people in the Book of Mormon has always been Captain Moroni. He's a courageous man who wrote the Title of Liberty and led the Nephites to victory against the Lamanites on multiple occasions. You can't get much better than Captain Moroni. I mean, not many people can be described like he is in Alma 48:17: "Yea, verily, verily say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever."
Talk about a great guy!
Around the same time we meet Captain Moroni, we also meet Amalickiah, a wicked, former Nephite who uses deception and trickery to become king of the Lamanites. Amalickiah is described as being "a man of cunning device and . . . of many flattering words" (Alma 46:10) and "a very subtle man to do evil" (Alma 47:4).
In other words, not a great guy.
Though I've read the Book of Mormon many times, during my most recent reading I noticed something new concerning these two individuals. One of the most righteous men and one the most wicked men in the Book of Mormon are discussed simultaneously, contrasting the two. The Book of Mormon switches back and forth between Amalickiah's actions and Captain Moroni's actions, showing their similarities and differences.
Amalickiah and Captain Moroni are similar in that they both use strategy to accomplish their goals. They're both powerful leaders and they lead armies into battle. They're both Nephites and highly persuasive.
However, they also have some very distinct, important differences. Captain Moroni follows the prophet. Amalickiah is a dissenter. Captain Moroni is righteous and fights for the freedom of his people. Amalickiah is wicked and fights for power and his own selfish gains. (In literary words, these two are a foil to each other).
In comparing these two I saw in a new way the power that one righteous man (Captain Moroni) can have and the power that one wicked man (Amalickiah) can have. Moroni led his people to victory and protected their freedoms. Amalickiah led his people to death and destruction, his own life being taken on the battle field as he attempted to overthrow the Nephites.
And I learned all of this through simple comparison.

Statue of Captain Moroni by Josh Cotton; Image from Wikimedia

Little Children

In his book, The Welcoming Door, Kenny Kemp tells the story of Jesus Christ's life during the time between  his childhood and ministry, the time when the Bible is silent. In this fictional account, Kemp shares three vignettes in which Christ observes or participates in the events that will later be told as some of his most well known parables: the prodigal son, the talents, and the good Samaritan.
While the stories themselves are fictional, they have the potential to teach readers more about the character of Christ as Kemp personifies him. He shows Christ as kind, hard working, and gentle. He shows his compassion towards all and his willingness to forgive. He also shows Christ's love for children.
I loved how Kemp depicted Christ's interactions with his siblings. He was fun loving and teased his brothers, but he was always kind. He used his interactions with them to teach them in a kind, older brother kind of way. He also took time to pay attention to the little children throughout the stories. He was kind to them, even taking time to "train" one of the children on how to be his apprentice while he made a door. Through this apprenticeship he helped the boy, Arah, to gain confidence and faith.
These depictions humanized Christ and his love for children. It added a new dimension to Mark 10:14 where Christ says "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not." I really liked being able to visualize Christ's love for children in a concrete story, not just an abstract idea.

Picture found on flickr.com

While these accounts were fictional, I think they have value in their ability to humanize Christ. They take his abstract teachings and give them a base, a concrete story to work from. While the stories do have flaws (their conclusions seem almost too easy at times) they teach good lessons and help the reader see Christ in a new way.

Mountains Between Us: Too Many Problems, Too Little Time

In her novel, Mountains Between Us, Jenny Proctor tells the story of two characters, Eliza Redding and Henry Jacobson, who come to work at Rockbridge Academy, a rehabilitative boarding school for youth located in North Carolina. During this time Henry is recovering from a divorce and struggling to repair his relationship with his son. Eliza, on the other hand, faces a shaky relationship with her mom and an alcoholic sister who won't get treatment. Through these struggles they draw closer together and finally find a way to have it all.
This novel is interesting in that it tries to grapple with a lot of different struggles and trials all at once. These are real problems that deserve consideration in literature. However, there are too many problems to sufficiently cover in a 227 page novel. Not only does it grapple with parent child relationships after a divorce, the struggle of dealing with alcoholism in a family, and moving on romantically after a divorce, it also takes on the issues of starting a new job, spreading the Gospel, abandonment, foster care, and dealing with troubled teens. Any one of these topics would be good for an individual novel, but to include them all in such a short work makes it difficult to do even one them justice. Many of the problems fall by the way side or are too easily resolved.
This is not to say that such big, real life issues shouldn't be dealt with in literature. That is one of the biggest benefits of literature, that it struggles and grapples with life, allowing us to find solutions as we read. And I have to say that it took courage on Proctor's part to bring so many large, challenging problems together in one novel. The combination definitely brings about a unique read unlike the other LDS fiction I have read thus far.

Picture from Wikipedia

Will Wonders Never Cease: Attempts at Something New

In his novel, Will Wonders Never Cease, Douglas Thayer tells the story of a fifteen year old boy named Kyle. At the beginning of the novel, Kyle gets trapped in his car underneath an avalanche and the rest of the novel focuses on how he changes he struggles to survive. This story was very unique due to its use of stream of consciousness, not to mention its interesting concept. (I mean, personally, I've never before read a story about a kid trying to dig himself out of an avalanche over the course of a week and a half). Almost the entire story takes place buried in an avalanche. It revolves around one character and his thoughts about himself, his actions, and the people who will miss him if he dies. This combination of details makes for a very unique story.
Because of its uniqueness this novel was a bit difficult to get into. I'd never read anything like it before and didn't know what exactly to expect. The story got a bit repetitive as Kyle reflected again and again on the same issues and people, mostly girls and his relationship with his mom. However, it was an attempt at something new, a fact that I can respect.
This novel isn't the first original attempt that we've read in this class. Nephi Anderson's plan of salvation novel, Added Upon, was the first of its kind, making it a unique, original story unlike anything that had previously been written. Luisa Perkins' novel, Dispirited, was a combination of young adult, LDS, paranormal, fantasy that made it impossible to categorize in terms of traditional genres. These attempts at originality can be hard to get into and they have some kinks to work out, but at least these authors had the courage to try something new. And each found some degree of success within their attempts.

Photo from Washington State Department of Transportation Flickr

Blogging Outside Myself

For this assignment I decided to try something I rarely do. I decided to read the blog posts of my friends and acquaitances that they share on Facebook. When glancing through my Facebook feed I don't typically have time to stop and read the blog posts shared by others. It's not that I'm not interested in their lives, it's just that typically when I get on Facebook it's to quickly check out the ward Facebook page and glance through my news feed to see if anything big or exciting has happened. Today I glanced through my news feed with the intent to read the blog posts, specifically the posts of people I know well enough to be friends with on Facebook, but not well enough to be close to them in real life.
The blog that I ended up focusing on was written by a new co-worker who I've only known for about two months. Her blog (www.bethanyjoybrown.blogspot.com) focuses on self-perception, body image, and being confident in yourself. I read a few of her posts and I loved the insights she had to share. She also brought in outside sources, such as Instagram, quotes, and other blogs, to add to her message. I glanced through some of these as well, commenting on the things that stood out to me.
Through this process I learned a few things:

1. I really need to take the time to read blog posts shared on Facebook. I really enjoyed what I read and I loved getting to know this co-worker better.
2. In reading these blog posts I was able to connect with another person in a new way. We possess shared experiences that I was only able to learn about through this co-worker's willingness to share her thoughts and my willingness to read.
3. There are a wide variety of resources and multiple ways to connect with other people on topics you may struggle with if you're willing to take the time to look.

I really enjoyed reading these blog posts and I plan on continuing to take time to read the posts shared by others and to participate in the community of writers found on blogs.

Choose Your Response

Luisa Perkins' novel, Dispirited, deals with a lot of interesting issues and topics in regards to the spirit, the body, death, and the after life. What stood out to me most, though, about this book was its subtle exploration of agency.
Throughout the book the main character, Cathy, keeps asking herself why she's the only one that can save Bunny. At times she even fights against that distinction, putting off her rescue attempts because the timing is inconvenient and gets in the way of her living a normal life.
At one point in the book she asks Januarye, a character who is sent to help her and Bunny, why she is the one that has to deal with this challenge. Januarye responds with one simple question, "Why not you?"
In this moment Cathy realizes her selfishness and determines to continue helping Bunny. Despite the fact that she didn't choose this situation, she chooses to still make the most of it and to help someone in need.
I thought this was a valuable lesson from the book. In life we have to deal with hard and terrible situations. We lose those we love, we are injured, we become sick, we move and have to make new friends, we have a bad day at work. Regardless of the challenge, it doesn't matter if we chose it or not, what matters is how we choose to respond to it.
This ability to choose our response is a key part of LDS doctrine. We believe in agency and that each of us agreed to come to earth to use that agency to choose to follow Heavenly Father's plan. With that agency comes, not so much the choice as to control everything that happens in life, but the choice of how we'll respond to what occurs especially when those occurrences aren't our choice. I thought this novel did a good job at illustrating this belief.

Picture Courtesy of Pixabay.com

Friends of Friends

When I first heard about this assignment I knew it was going to be hard for me. I'm not an overly social person and talking to strangers is way outside my comfort zone. So I asked Megan, a friend from high school who also happens to be in this class, if she would help me find someone to give me more feedback on my previous post, "Being an Aunt." Megan asked her roommate and this is the response I received:

As far as writing style goes the beginning was a little confusing, had a few too many details and "hers/shes". That said, I loved the post! Being an aunt is truly wonderful. I have to keep fighting the irresistible urge to steal away the newest toddlers in the family. Also, being the youngest, I never grew up with children around and so when I get to see my nephews and nieces I'm pretty sure I spend 90% of the vacation fawning over them. They're so precious and adorable. Great post and cute picture. :)

I definitely agree with what she says about the beginning being confusing. It doesn't connect with the overall topic of the post and was included simply because, for this assignment, I was writing a journal entry. I need to find a better way to begin this post, something like a story about when my nephew was born or an experience I've had since becoming an aunt.

I also really enjoyed reading about Megan's roommate's experience with being an aunt herself. I totally relate to the desire to steal the toddlers away and I spend most of my time at home playing with my nephew as opposed to visiting with family.

I liked connecting with someone about something we both could relate to, being an aunt, and I liked learning more about someone else's experience in that regard.

Adam and Eve: Dating 101

In his play, Adam and Eve, Mormon playwright Davey Morrison explores the moments immediately following Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden. As the play opens Eve sits on a tree stump examining an apple while Adam attempts to gauge her feelings about the fact that the two of them are now expected to multiply and replenish the earth.
The short play is filled with humor as Adam attempts holding hands for the first time, Eve tries to understand her emotions, and the two of them try to determine if they actually love each other or if they are only interested in each other because they're the only two people on planet earth. In short, it resembles the first awkward moments of dating for your average couple.
This play adds humor and personality to the biblical characters of Adam and Eve. Instead of referring to them as the far removed, distant parents of all humanity, it shows them as real people trying to get to know each other as they date and work towards forming a family of their own.
I found the dialogue between the two characters a bit abrupt and choppy, but believable. It showed their youth and ignorance as they navigated this new world. The word choice was a bit more modern than I would have expected from Adam and Eve, but I can understand the author's choice to use modern language in hopes of connecting more with the audience.
The most insightful part of the play for me, however, was how Morrison depicted Adam and Eve's relationship to God. Morrison showed that they missed Him and regretted no longer being in His presence, but Morrison also showed that, though they could no longer see God, He had not left them alone. In the play they say that they can still feel Him with them, which is a key part of Mormon doctrine, the doctrine that God is our Heavenly Father and loves us.

Picture from Pixabay.com

Facebook Feedback

For this assignment I posted a link to my blog post, "Being an Aunt," on Facebook in hopes of getting a variety of responses. However, I didn't quite get the feedback I was expecting. Instead I got five likes and one comment. The interesting thing about the comment, though, is that it came from my own aunt. She wrote:

There is always a special connection between an aunt and her nieces and nephews. In my opinion, they are your children too. That bond was first created when I got to hold them as babies for the first time. I loved to play games with them while babysitting or in our downstairs' toy room during family gatherings at my house when I was younger. One of my favorite things is do is to talk/text them now they are older because I love to hear about their lives. I know them and will love them forever, just like you know and love Mckay. No matter how old he gets and wherever life takes you and him, he will always have a special place in your heart. I know because I think of my nieces and nephews often and love them with all if my heart.

It was interesting to hear my aunt's perspective on being an aunt. My aunt has been an aunt for most of her life, with her oldest niece now in her late twenties, so being an aunt has played a key role in her life experiences. I remember as a kid going to visit with her. We always did some of the coolest things when we were with her, like going to the nearby zoo or fun center.

Reading her view on being an aunt showed me that the feelings I have for my nephew are enjoyed and experienced by more than just me. It also showed me how much she cares for me, my siblings, and my cousins.

Even though I didn't receive any feedback on what I could improve with this post, I did gain some new ideas to think about as I revise and work on this post more.

Don't Leave the Bubbles Unsupervised and Other Important Advise

I really enjoyed Chris Clark's essay, Un-Coaching. I found his tone humorous and liked how he spent the essay giving advice on what not to do, which goes against the typical essay which is usually about what one should do. I'm going to attempt to do something similar in terms of what not to do when working with young children, ages zero to two.

Over the summer I had the opportunity to work as a counselor at a family camp. My job was to supervise and entertain (essentially babysit) children ages zero to two twice a day for a total of about five hours. Previous to this job I thought I knew how to care for children and what it took to keep them entertained. I was wrong. The following is a list of some lessons I learned over the course of the summer.

• Don't expect the one year olds (and a fair amount of the two year olds) to be interested in crafts. Typically they'll be more interested in playing with toys, going outside, or crying because their parents just left as opposed to caring about what you're doing with glue, paper, and crayons.
• Don't take any children for walks who aren't firmly strapped into a stroller. Even if they promise to hold your hand chances are they'll see something/someone they want to go play with and they will run away from you. Unless you want to spend time chasing a child in an non-enclosed area with the chance of their parents seeing you almost lose their child, I would suggest leaving the child that is not in the stroller back in the fenced off yard with the other children and counselors.
• Don't leave the bubbles unsupervised. Even if you think the lid is screwed on tight enough, chances are it's not and that someone will get a hold of it and spill most, if not all of its contents. Also, don't let the kids hold the bubble wands if they are under the age of two. If you do they will likely not know how to actually blow a bubble and will just get really sticky.
• Don't leave dropped snacks on the grass for the squirrels to find and eat later. Often times it's not the squirrels who end up eating those discarded Fruit Loops and Gold Fish crackers.
• Don't attempt to put down certain children in cribs after they have fallen asleep in your arms. Often times they will wake up and if you thought it was hard getting them to sleep the first time, it's going to be even harder the second time.
• Don't push the kids too high in the swings. Some of them love it and if they ask for that, great, give it to them. But if they don't ask to go high, don't assume they want to go high.
• Don't discount the power of a good Disney movie when trying to put the kids down for a nap. Even if they "aren't tired," they will likely still lay down to watch it and chances are they will still fall asleep.
• Finally, don't forget to have fun. Because as hard as it can be sometimes to watch 16 two-year-olds with only one other person to help you, it can also be a lot of fun and an opportunity to make some good memories.

Picture from Pixabay.com

Being an Aunt

Today I spent a few hours at home in Layton, taking a roommate along for the ride. She wanted to get out of Provo for a little while and thought the Jamberry party my sister and I were hosting sounded fun. I was excited to introduce her to my family and be with my family, even if it was just for the evening.
We got to my house, the same house I have lived in my entire life, around 2:00. I introduced my roommate to my parents before heading to my sister's house in Syracuse to help get things set up for the party. (We were making muddy buddies and she needed some of the ingredients that my mom had picked up at the store).
However, once I got to my sister's house my focus shifted from the upcoming party and the treats I needed to make, to the little blond baby waiting for me at the gate at the top of the stairs. I never knew the power a baby held until this blue eyed boy, Mckay, entered my life nearly a year ago. He has me wrapped around his little fingers and he doesn't even know it.
As soon as I walked up the stairs I picked him up and hugged him, but not too close. He doesn't actually like to snuggle. I introduced him to my roommate and we began a game with him and the paper towel role he was playing with before we showed up. (It's amazing how interesting everyday objects suddenly become when you're entertaining a small child).
Throughout the party I turned to find Mckay, picking him up or playing with him and whatever toy had grabbed his attention. He currently has a slight cold and isn't feeling the greatest so every once in a while a small whimper would escape his lips. The sound melted my heart and whenever I heard it I couldn't help but pick him up and try to comfort him. It didn't matter what was going on with the party, my world at the moment revolved around him.
It's amazing, the connection between family members, specifically between an aunt and her nephew. I have always been told that being an aunt is the best, but I didn't understand what that meant until March 18, 2014 when Mckay entered my life. He's been a part of our family for less than a year and yet I can't picture life without him.
He loves to laugh and smile. His favorite game is peek-a-boo (with roaring sound effects as opposed to saying "peek-a-boo"). He's already walking and gets into absolutely everything he can possibly reach. Bath time is his favorite time of day and he loves to read stories and to turn the pages himself.
And no matter what my reason for going home, he somehow always makes my visit even better. My friends were right, being an aunt really is the best.

Me and Mckay (my own picture)

Climbing Mountains and Other Such Things

Inner Struggle: Choosing English
"I'm sure you hear this all the time, but what can you do with an English degree?" I asked the guys at the information desk in front of me. I was at an on campus major fair trying to choose my future as I wandered the tables filling the ballroom.
They responded that English taught you a set of skills that could be used in a wide range of careers. It all just depended on how you chose to use the degree. I nodded my head and smiled, pretending to understand what that meant. It seemed so vague.
I would later repeat this same question to my creative writing professor who would give me a similar answer. And it still seemed vague to me.
English didn't come with a clear cut course. There wasn't an engineering job or a teaching position waiting for me at the end. Instead it opened up to a realm of unknown potential. A place where countless opportunities awaited (or so I was told) that I just simply had to find. These endless possibilities sounded exciting, but for a planner like me they also sounded terrifying.
I decided to try it, though. Despite my fears I took my first English class and took my first step down the road to the unknown. And I have yet to look back.

Scripture: All Things Testify
"I say unto you, I know there is a God . . . But, behold, I have all things as a testimony that these things are true; and ye also have all things as a testimony unto that they are true; and will ye deny them?" Alma 30:39,41
The first time I really remember reading this scripture was on a family vacation. It was a Sunday and my dad, wanting to set a spiritual tone before we headed into nearby Teton National Park, read the scripture to us. He talked about what it meant and challenged us to look for God's hand as we drove through the park.

Lessons Learned

Reading these essays was interesting for me. I liked how the students covered a wide range of topics and that they each handled their topics differently. I noticed that a lot of students picked similar topics (such as losing a loved one or mission experiences) yet they were each able to put their own unique spin on things that made them fun to read.

After reading these essays I have gained a few ideas for topics that I can also explore. Some of these topics include personal loss and the healing the Gospel can bring after death, struggles with difficult roommates, finding peace in writing, and family experiences that teach about the importance of eternal families.

As I watched the intros and read some of the essays I learned a couple things I hope to apply to my own personal essay. First, with the video intros, I learned that the shorter videos tended to grab my attention more than the longer ones. To be able to summarize the main idea of an essay in a succinct way pulls in your audience more quickly than a long, drawn out introduction.

Next I learned from the essays that the incorporation of different scripture examples and stories needs to be done very carefully. Some of the essays incorporated stories extremely well, using them to add to their personal experiences. However, in some of the essays the scriptural allusions felt like after thoughts and too much of a stretch to connect to. I'm not saying don't add scriptural allusions, I'm just saying be mindful of how you're doing it and make sure it's done tastefully.

Finally I learned that stories communicate a message more effectively than simply explaining a principle. Stories ground what you're trying to share and make it easier for the audience to understand. They also help the audience connect to the author personally which adds understanding to a piece.

Photo courtesy of pixabay.com (found through creative commons)

Difficult Themes: The Power of Words

According to Bradley Will, Orson Scott Card is known for his ability to use young adult literature to address "difficult and ambiguous moral quandaries without reducing their complexities" (163). Card does this through an uncomplicated, direct writing style that can be accessed by younger readers while not resorting to inappropriate content that would alienate his young audience. This can be seen in his novel, The Seventh Son, where Card tells the story of Alvin Miller, a young boy with amazing abilities, known as knacks, and that enable him to do great things.Throughout the novel Card explores many difficult issues as Alvin and the other characters in the story use their knacks for better and for worse as they search for truth. However, Card's characters and writing style make it possible for his audience to understand these issues, regardless of their complexity.
One of these issues is the power and influence of words. At one point in the story Alvin expresses his frustration with words and how they can be distorted, their meanings changed. In response to Alvin's frustration Taleswapper, a traveling story teller that makes friends with Alvin and his family, states that, "Everybody ends up dead . . . But some who are dead live on in their words" (123), expressing the power of words when used correctly. He then goes on to explain that objects and things can only do so much, but that words can grow and magnify until they influence many individuals even thousands of miles away.
With this simple scene, Card teaches the importance of what one says and he does it in a way that is non-didactic and easy to connect to. It is this simplistic, but honest method that makes the lessons found in Card's novel easy to understand and accept. He not only teaches lessons, but he allows his audience to choose how to respond to these lessons. When it comes to The Seventh Son the audience chooses what they learn.

Bradley, Will. "Reviewed Work: Orson Scott Care: Writer of the Terrible Choice, Scarecrow Studies in Young Adult Literature 10 by Edith S. Tyson." Utopian Studies 15.1 (2004): 163-164. JSTOR. Web. 21 Jan. 2015.

Picture curtsy of Antonio Litterio found through Creative Commons

Surprised by Literature

As an English major I frequently get asked who my favorite author is. In my opinion this question is impossible to answer; however, I usually respond with a list and near the top of that list is William Wordsworth. I love his poetry with its nature imagery and how he is able to put human emotion into words. One poem in particular is my favorite. It's titled "Surprised by Joy."

In this poem Wordsworth, who had personally experienced loss multiple times, explains the moment when you experience something happy and turn to share the moment with someone near to you only to remember that they've passed away. The shock of that moment is startling and painful and Wordsworth captures it beautifully in words.

I remember the first time I read this poem. Its accuracy and emotion hit me hard. I knew exactly what it described. I had lost my sister to cancer a few years before and knew all too well the feeling of being "surprised by joy."

The truth of Wordsworth's words taught me something powerful. They showed me that human truth was found in more than just scripture. They also reinforced to me why we read and study literature. We don't read just because it's fun. We read because literature connects us and teaches us so much about life and what it means to be human. Literature helps us through life because it shows us that we aren't alone, something I was taught by William Wordworth.

My sisters and I shortly before Madey passed away

Other spiritual literary experiences:

- Reading board books to my baby nephew and watching him learn through what I read

- Listening to my parents read stories to my sisters and I when we were kids

- Writing fiction and nonfiction based on my personal experiences

- Helping students in the writing center learn the power of writing through tutoring

- Reading poetry while hiking near my home and realizing just how accurately the words described nature

- Finding a good quote in a book that applies to my life, especially at that particular moment