Blog Archives

Theotokos: Pentecost

February 3, 2012 | 14 comments
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Theotokos: Pentecost

Fourth and last in a series of essays about female identity. Previous posts explored this theme in the contexts of air, water, and earth. It was snowing when I drove to the hospital, and it wouldn’t be daylight for another hour at least. The only person in the lobby was the woman at the information desk. She directed me to the laboratory down the hall, where I handed over my paperwork and sat down in the empty waiting room. On the wall-mounted TV, a news reporter announced that an escaped convict had been captured. He’d broken out of federal... Read more »

Theotokos: Seed

January 3, 2012 | 9 comments
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Theotokos: Seed

(Part 3 of 4. Read the first parts here and here.) Once a year, right before our Christmas dinner, I practice the fine art of pomegranate seeding. If I’d let them my kids would eat pomegranates every day, but they’re expensive. And the juice stains. This year we have two of the fruits, spherical with thick skins of dull red. I choose one and use a serrated knife to saw through its center. The fruit falls in halves on the cutting board, revealing plump clusters of seeds separated by paper-thin pith. Juice seeps from the wound and runs down... Read more »

Theotokos: Land’s End

December 29, 2011 | 5 comments
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Theotokos: Land’s End

(Part 2 of 4. Read the first part here). Between the Washington Beltway and the Delaware coast lay 150 miles of waiting. Waiting, and watching, and sweating with boredom as my grandmother’s Oldsmobile slowly cruised Route 50. We took this road every summer, me and my brother and our Yia Yia Christine, leaving behind the Maryland suburbs for the Lynard vacation spot on Rehoboth Beach. 4 people like this post. Like Unlike Read more »

Theotokos: Flight

December 21, 2011 | 5 comments
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theotokos3

(part 1 of 4) A strange autumn. The gold harvest sky, usually so calm and calming, is full of unrest. Nervous pigeons cluster near the freeway overpass. Above them circle the gulls, those inland outlanders who should be pulling fish from the sea. Nameless small dark birds coalesce into rolling, chattering clouds before dropping to roost on rooftops and treetops and utility wires. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »

Expecto patronum

November 27, 2011 | 23 comments
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Once upon a time there was a little girl who wanted to know God, although she didn’t know yet that that’s what she wanted. Her only religious experience was sporadic Sunday mornings at the Greek Orthodox church her grandmother frequented. There, God was something apart and unknowable, a chant in a foreign tongue, a patch of colors in a high window, a swing of the censer in the distant nave. When she was a little less little, her mother began going to a different church, where the priests didn’t glitter and the windows were curtained yet clear, and there... Read more »

The Totality of Mortality

January 8, 2009 | 60 comments
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When I picked up my manual to prepare to teach Gospel Doctrine this Sunday, I figured it would be a lesson about the spirit of Elijah (second week = section 2 = turning hearts, etc). I was surprised and delighted to find that Lesson 2 is instead about the atonement, highlighting powerhouse passages in Doctrine & Covenants sections 19, 76, 88, and 93. While reading the material I was reminded of a favorite quote from Chieko Okazaki on the topic and had a hankering to share it. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »

Semiautomatic Madness

January 6, 2009 | 133 comments
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“Gun sales in the waning months of 2008 saw a dramatic spike in Utah, a trend gunowners say is propelled by the election of Barack Obama and a faltering economy . . . At Kearns’ Impact Guns, assault weapons, such as AR-15s and AK-47s are out-of-stock after a post-election rush.” Will someone please explain to me why any civilian would want or need an AK-47? Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »

Om nom nom

January 2, 2009 | 39 comments
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In a recent ABC article, mother of three Robyn Paul has some good things to say about breastfeeding children beyond infancy. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »

Is the pudding done?

December 24, 2008 | 2 comments
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As far as holiday food goes, Thanksgiving tends to steal the spotlight. At our home Christmas Eve dinner is a true feast rivaling the best turkey-centered spreads our table has seen: Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »

Get thee behind me, Santa!

December 22, 2008 | 16 comments
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I know, I know. There’s so much to love about the jolly fella. But he keeps getting in the way. Or not. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »

Home

November 27, 2008 | 18 comments
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Any minute now, it will begin: first one car, then another, then another will drive into our cul-de-sac and park in front of the house across the street. As they do on every holiday, the Bishop’s children are coming home. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »

Hum together, right now

November 6, 2008 | 12 comments
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While the candidates have been talking the talk about cooperation and unity, a few humble LDS editors have been walking the walk. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »

Halloween treat

October 31, 2008 | 23 comments
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Halloween treat

Strangely enough, I didn’t catch the irony until just now, as my first- and sixth-graders ran outside to catch the carpool. First grader=John McCain Sixth grader=jihadist Afghani Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »

Girls, Are You Hip Enough?

October 29, 2008 | 95 comments
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I kissed a girl and I liked it The taste of her cherry chapstick I kissed a girl just to try it I hope my boyfriend don’t mind it It felt so wrong It felt so right Don’t mean I’m in love tonight Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »

What a day for a daydream

October 26, 2008 | 80 comments
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A few days ago, Russell passed around this quote backstage (yes, T&S has a backstage–that’s where the permabloggers hang out, fight, and make fun of you): Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »

Power to the Parents

October 24, 2008 | 88 comments
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Naysayers regarding Sarah Palin’s promise to be an advocate for children with special needs can stand down for now rant all they want, but I’m still excited. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »

Two-headed Hydra

October 22, 2008 | 100 comments
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Thirteen-year-old son: Mom, can I watch “The Sarah Connor Chronicles”? me: No. son: Why not? There’s nothing bad about it. me: I disagree. son: Well, I disagree with you. me: That’s okay. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »

Thank you, Dr. Ulrich

June 19, 2008 | 4 comments
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A good thing now comes to an end. We thank Wendy Ulrich for her fantastic guest posts, and wish her the very best. I’ve just begun reading her book, Forgiving Ourselves, and I can already tell that it will be a life-changing experience. Here are some of the chapter titles: The Spiritual Basis for Self-Forgiveness Defining Self-Forgiveness Receiving the Gift Repentance Shame and Pride Depression Anxious Perfectionism Self-Destructive Unselfishness Trauma and Abuse Though Your Sins Be As Scarlet Forgiving Ourselves as Parents Believing God Dr. Ulrich, thank you again. We hope you’ll come back and visit us soon. Be... Read more »

Rock bottom

June 1, 2008 | 18 comments
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Today’s Gospel Doctrine lesson: the conversion of Alma the Younger. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »

T&S welcomes guest poster Wendy Ulrich

May 27, 2008 | 8 comments
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Wendy Ulrich, Ph.D., is a former president of the Association of Mormon Counselors and Psychotherapists, and the author of Forgiving Ourselves: Getting Back Up When We Let Ourselves Down, recently published by Deseret Book. She is the founder of Sixteen Stones Center for Growth in Alpine, Utah, offering seminar-retreats on topics such as spirituality, abundant life, loss, forgiveness, and other aspects of personal growth. She was a psychologist in private practice in Michigan for twenty years before moving to Montreal, Quebec to serve with her husband as mission president. They currently live in Utah. Welcome, Dr. Ulrich! We’re honored... Read more »

God Himself

May 18, 2008 | 17 comments
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Lucky me, I got to talk about Mosiah 15 in my Gospel Doctrine lesson today. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »

More Blessed to Give

February 19, 2008 | 44 comments
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A few months ago I read Kate Braestrup’s excellent memoir Here If You Need Me, and I’ve been thinking about this passage ever since. My son Zach is the child of Unitarian Universalists, so naturally he didn’t know a lot about Jesus. But I heard a lot about Jesus at my Christian seminary, and a lot of it was pretty cool. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »

Monday morning quiz

October 29, 2007 | 94 comments
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True or false: Mormons believe God is a married couple. (To receive credit, you must explain your answer. ) Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »

Do some good this weekend!

October 12, 2007 | 8 comments
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Don’t forget: Get a jumpstart on your holiday shopping by supporting the Gifts Outreach book fair at all Utah Barnes and Noble bookstores, Saturday October 13. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »

What Might Go Right

October 4, 2007 | 12 comments
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I was signing copies of GIFTS at a Barnes and Noble author event when a tall, brunette middle-aged woman approached the table. She peered at me and the stack of books at my elbow with curiosity. “Do you have any friends or family members with Down syndrome?” I asked. “No,” she said. “I’ve been lucky.” Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »

Getting in the way

August 30, 2007 | 95 comments
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Harry: You realize of course that we could never be friends. Sally: Why not? Harry: What I’m saying is – and this is not a come-on in any way, shape or form – is that men and women can’t be friends because the sex part always gets in the way. Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »

Doors in the Wall

August 23, 2007 | 57 comments
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The function of the brain and nervous system and sense organs are in the main eliminative and not productive. Each person is at each moment capable of remembering all that has ever happened to him and of perceiving everything that is happening everywhere in the universe. The function of the brain and nervous system is to protect us from being overwhelmed and confused by this mass of largely useless and irrelevant knowledge, by shutting out most of what we should otherwise perceive or remember at any moment, and leaving only that very small and special selection which is likely... Read more »

The Lord Is With Us

August 22, 2007 | 40 comments
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Matt has kindly invited me to continue guest posting at will. And I’m glad, because my mind is spinning this week with thoughts I’d like to dump on you guys. I’m going to start with a long preamble: this sacrament meeting talk that was assigned to me a few months ago. More to follow tomorrow. We don’t call this earth life “the lone and dreary world” for nothing. We are strangers here, homesick for our heavenly parents, our heavenly home. In our mortal bodies we are subject to all kinds of difficulties and infirmities, both mental and physical and... Read more »

‘Til We Meet Again

August 2, 2007 | 8 comments
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I keep telling myself this, but now I really mean it: It’s time for me to make a graceful exit. Thanks for a fun 10 days, everyone. I’ve appreciated all your comments (yes, all). If I’ve left any loose ends you want to call me on, or if you’d like to contact me for another reason, email me: kathryn (at) kathrynlynardsoper (dot) com. Cheers! Be the first to like. Like Unlike Read more »

A little knowledge

July 31, 2007 | 84 comments
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In January 2007 the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) issued new guidelines recommending first-trimester Down syndrome screening for all pregnant women, regardless of age. That means this year, 4 million American women will be offered first-trimester screening for DS, and thousands will receive a positive prenatal diagnosis. This protocol is supposed to increase women’s reproductive freedom, but I fear it does just the opposite. 1 person likes this post. Like Unlike Read more »

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