Tag Archives: hope

Body Clutter — Marla Cilley and LeeAnn Ely

Why am I fat? That’s a question many Americans, myself included, ask ourselves several times a week, if not several times a day. Sometimes the answer is simple: I’m fat because I’m addicted to cheeseburgers and I don’t exercise. Sometimes the answer is more complex: I have emotional issues that I haven’t overcome. I’ve read many books on the theories behind weight loss. Some want you to eat all carbs, others say no carbs. Some want you to drink a glass of lemon water with every meal. Some say you should color coordinate your food. They all have their points … Continue reading →

Devotions of Hope

Hope is yet another one of those words or concepts which means one thing in a Biblical sense and an almost completely different thing in a worldly sense. In the world today the word hope is often associated with the terms “wish” or “desire.” However, when the word hope is used in the Bible it possesses a much stronger meaning. Biblical hope is not flimsy or fragile like a wish. Biblical hope is much deeper than a simple desire. In the Bible the word hope indicates a confidence that Christians have in the Lord. A Christian’s hope is that he … Continue reading →

A Mom’s Guide To Sanity: Guilt vs. Hope

These two feelings may seem unrelated, but for me as the mother of an emotionally disturbed and mentally ill child these two feelings go hand in hand. It often seems like a tricky balancing act for me to best advocate for my child’s needs. Sometimes my Hope blinds me to signs of pending crisis leading to the dreaded feeling of guilt for not being on top of things this time around. Other times I feel a sense of guilt because that day I lacked the kind of Hope I want to have for my child’s future. It can be a … Continue reading →

Ten Thousand Sorrows — Elizabeth Kim

“Ten Thousand Sorrows” is a nonfiction account of a Korean girl who was born to an unmarried mother. The social stigma this birth brought to the family was incredible. The mother was forced to live on the outskirts of town, far away from the other villagers, and while working in the rice paddies, she was virtually ignored. No one would associate with “that kind of woman,” and she was treated like a leper. Despite this treatment, she did everything in her power to raise her daughter with joy and love. Elizabeth remembers a small town made of cardboard boxes and … Continue reading →

Setting Appropriate Expectations for Your Child with Special Needs

Posted on by

An important aspect of parenting a child with special needs is setting appropriate, realistic expectations. This is much easier said than done. Regardless of what your child’s diagnosis, or “label,” turns out to be, he or she is an individual. Your child is likely to have abilities or strengths which are unusual to her condition. Or, he may have difficulties that some children with the same disorder don’t normally face. There is no one-description-fits-all for any special needs child. You must create a balance of both a hopeful, positive outlook, and one that doesn’t expect more than what is reasonable. … Continue reading →

From the Beginning

From the beginning of time . . . no, not Adam and Eve, from the beginning of where we became spirit children of our Heavenly Father we were free to act accordingly to the dictates of our desires. Some desired to become like our heavenly parents, and some did not. Some were better and quicker at it than others, like Jesus Christ, others were not. But we know this because of modern revelation: “The spirits of men were not equal. They may have had an equal start, and we know they were all innocent in the beginning; but the right … Continue reading →

He Does Answer Prayers

“About one hour before my wife died, I called my children into her room and told them that their mother was dying and for them to bid her good-bye. One of the little girls, about twelve years of age, said to me: ‘Papa, I do not want my mamma to die. I have been with you in the hospital in San Francisco for six months; time and time again when mamma was in distress you [have] administered to her and she has been relieved of her pain and quietly gone to sleep. I want you to lay hands upon my … Continue reading →

Promise Me

Have you ever wondered what was going through our minds as we contemplated earth life from our lofty view in the heavens? Have you ever wondered if you quailed at certain tasks, man’s inhumanity to man, or Satan’s apparent influence over all the earth? Did you ever stop to think about the possibility that you would be so intelligent you may not learn to rely on the Lord as is necessary for our eternal salvation? Was it possible that you would explain away God with the frailties of mortal science? Did you look at your mortal life, laid before you … Continue reading →

Self-Control vs. Self-Indulgence

In a world so full of bright shiny things, it can be very easy to become distracted. I have long thought that the bulk of the world’s problems simply come from a complete lack of self-discipline. Greed – lack of self-discipline. Selfishness – lack of self-discipline. Crime – lack of self-discipline. Inhumanity – lack of self-discipline. Elder Richard G. Scott said: “Some of us at one time or another let the pressures of life or the false teachings of men cloud our vision, but when we see with clarity, the difference between the plan of God and that of Satan … Continue reading →

Children Who Leave Too Early and the Families Left Behind

For those of us who have suffered miscarriage, still born births or the early deaths of our children, the effects can be devastating, to say the least. For myself, as I suffered miscarriage after miscarriage I turned to the writings of modern prophets and apostles for comfort as I yearned to know if I would ever hold my children in my arms. The prophet, Joseph Smith, Jr., who also faced this very same heartbreak addressed this issue in the King Follett sermon and again in conversations to M. Isabella Horne and other sisters who had suffered these very same losses: … Continue reading →