Goolge Earth

By Marcia Mickelson

My 8 year old is hooked. I introduced him to Goole Earth two weeks ago, and he can't get enough. He's pushing three hours on the computer each day, and I have to get him off to do different things, or I think he'd stay there all day.

He's big into geography and maps. His year old book of San Antonio maps is tattered from hours of enjoyment. But, this is a whole new, amazing adventure for him. He's in heaven.

He has enjoyed finding our house, his school, and just about every place he's ever been. We're moving to a new town this month, and he has already scouted out our new house, his new school. He can already tell me the nearest libraries, parks, and grocery stores. He can already tell me exactly how to get there (with a little comparison between his map and Google Earth), what streets I need to take, and what I'll pass on my way there. He's also taken a great liking to marking the places he finds.

I think it's great that he enjoys Google Earth. It's truly an amazing program. What's funny is that he can't just enjoy it. He has to tell me all the things he finds. I hear "Look!" at least a dozen times an hour. I can only be excited about another McDonald's so many times. But, really, I am happy that he is enjoying this great technology we have today.

Official Porch Sitter

By Kimberly Jensen

I first heard of the "Official Porch Sitters Club" during the end of a newscast one evening. You know, the last story of the nightly news that is full of fluff and good feelings to help you sleep at night after watching previous stories of dread and fear. I haven't officially joined the club on paper but I consider myself a member of this club because everytime my father comes to visit, that is what we do. We sit on the porch. My dad stays with us about once a month for a few nights so that my mom can get a few things done and get a much deserved break from being a full time caregiver to my dad who has Parkinson's. One of my dad's favorite things to do is just sit on our front porch and watch the woods for deer. He sees them often, but they don't always come into his view. But still we sit and visit. Sometimes there are long conversations about his childhood growing up in Pleasant Grove and memories of family vacations. But those long conversations are few and far between and most of the time we just sit in the presence of each other and breathe. I've found peace in those moments of just breathing and sitting beside the man who struggles for nearly every breathe he takes. He is thankful for each one and I am thankful that I am there to witness his gratitude, strength and endurance. Because of my father I have a greater appreciation and understanding of one of the famous "Be's," that being "Be Still."

Joy of Reading

My daughter, Brynlee, is an avid reader. I like to think I instilled that love for words in her. My husband and I have a difficult time supplying her with reading material because she blows through it so quickly. The thing that pleases me more than anything is when I give her one of my favorites from my childhood, she reads it and loves it. A flood of memories comes over me. I recall where I was and what I felt when I was reading that same book. It is amazing how words can connect us, focus us on one central goal and idea. Through her, I have maintained that eager anticipation for reading a new book or revisiting an old, familiar one.
The greatest honor I have had with my writing was when she read my book, gushed about how she had loved it, and then asked me to sign it for her. I don't think that I would have been more humbled if it had been the president himself asking for my signature.

FHE Jackpot

I have a favorite FHE site, here.

It generates crossword puzzles—free. You make up the clues, like so:

Expected/ Sister Hinckley: It turned out better than I _____
Zoramites/ Holy, holy, holy hypocrites
Mooch/ Cat who showed up on Aunt Nikki’s birthday
etc.!

You push “go.” POOF!—instant FHE lesson/activity. We’ve done family-specific puzzles, a puzzle that commemorated President Hinckley, Book of Mormon puzzles.

Most recently, we read through the Proclamation on the Family, then searched for puzzle clues in the text. Halfway through, my 9-year-old looked up and said, “This is fun!” Cha-ching!

If you try this, it works best “open-book,” with text containing the answers available for everyone. Sometimes I have to draw in a couple of lines that the printer left off the printed copy.

It’s fun, it’s easy, my family stays engaged with the material long enough to learn a thing or two. Jackpot!

Turning Thirteen

by Kimberly Jensen

My first son turned 13 yesterday. For each of our children's birthdays we give them a new responsiblity and a new privilege. This time, the privilege and the responsiblity came in the same package, a cell phone. While many of his friends (and many younger kids as well) have been toting cell phones for months now, we made our son wait. My husband and I love to share milestones with our kids by having them look forward to something and making it very special. We gave him the cell phone, but he must wait a year to receive "texting." He was fine with it because he knows he must "earn" the next privilege. Another privilege he received this year was a nice dinner out with just his parents. We went to a fine dining steakhouse where he ordered an appetizer, steak dinner and dessert. He sat with us and shared his first year middle school stories, challenges and struggles. As I listened, I decided that I was the privileged one at his birthday dinner because I got to listen to my now-teenage son share his desires, dreams and thoughts. I also got a new responsibility, raising my son to be a fine young man!

Summer Break

By Rebecca Talley

Woo hoo! School is out for the summer.

We've spent the first week of summer break building fences for our goats. We've already built 600 feet and still have 700 feet more to go. When we bought our property it had no fences so we've slowly tried to fence off fields. It's a long process, but in the end will be beneficial to our goats and their protector, Tina the llama.

To celebrate the end of the school year, my husband and I watched, Indiana Jones and the City of the Crystal Skull. I love the Indiana Jones movies (mostly because Harrison Ford is so cool). My teenage daughters remarked that they thought Harrison Ford was too old. Excuse me? He is Harrison Ford. Besides, if he's aged, that means I have, too. I enjoyed the movie, though it does call for a very large suspension of disbelief. Some of the stunts are somewhat unbelievable, but, after all, he is Harrison Ford, right? And the whole story is sci-fi. It was a fun way to start off the summer.

The rest of the summer looks to be very busy with theater camp, Scout camp, MTC camp, Youth Conference, summer jobs for my kids, and Wood Badge. Oh, and my son will be home from his mission in 11 weeks (but who's counting?).

Woo hoo for summer break!

The House of Two Toilets

by Shirley Bahlmann
As we drove down Main Street in our historic little town of Ephraim, Utah, my 8-year-old son pointed to a sandblasted rock sign in a front yard and asked, "What does 'House of Seven Gables' mean?"
I shifted in my seat. "Do you see those little pointy roofs?" I asked, aiming my finger at a gable jutting from the old house's roof line. He nodded. "Those are called gables," I explained. "That house has seven of them."
"Big deal," my husband said from the driver's seat. "I think we should make a sign for our house and stick it in our yard."
My interest piqued, I straightened in my seat and looked at him. "What would our sign say?" I asked.
"House of Two Toilets," he intoned.
"WHAT?"
He shrugged while our son giggled in the back seat. "That's every bit as important as seven gables, if no moreso."
What else could I say? He was absolutely right.

Airline Seats And Elbow Pads

David J Stitt

If I did not know better, I would think that airline seats come from manufacturing facilities that make chairs for torturing people. Perhaps their objective is to add just enough padding to keep the passengers from screaming in pain the moment they take a seat. The flimsy padding allows the intense pain to be delayed just long enough for the main door to be closed and the seat-belt-fasten sign illuminated before really kicking in. Seriously, I have found something that decreases the discomfort these “chairs” a little. This past month I was on a flight and there happened to be a blanket and pillow on my seat. I decided to put each one on the arms of the chair to pad my elbows. It made a positive difference in the comfort level. For those of you who also suffer while flying try getting some elbow pads to see if it helps you.

A little lighter

by Lyman Rose

Well, I have been on an unusual nutrition plan (I'm trying to avoid the word diet) for the past 9 weeks and I think I need a change.  Not that I am disappointed by any means.  I have lost 52 pounds and I haven't been hungry at all.  I have felt very good and have more energy than I have had for years.  I am not nearly as tired as I used to be either.  Just for fun, I tried to take a 50 pound sack of rice with me for a few hours of the day and realized why I had been tired for so long.  

The bottom line is that I am tired of the menu and need a change.  I am not through losing weight; I need to drop another 50 pounds or so.  I am just looking for something a bit different than what I have been doing.  It makes me feel a bit guilty to suggest that I am bored with the menu.  I feel like Israel when the manna came from heaven and they grew tired of it and complained.  I think I know how they felt to a degree.

If anyone knows of a plan that is nutritious and helps to lose weight, I would be interested.

Thanks

Ben

By Emily Cushing

A couple of weeks ago my husband, Travis, and I attended the funeral of our friend’s dad. A very sweet moment occurred just after the first talk.

Travis and I were able to sit by Ben. Ben attended high school with us and he is mentally handicapped. Although not autistic, physically and emotionally, Ben reminds me of "Rain Man". At times he has difficulty speaking clearly and sometimes, no matter how hard you try, he just won’t answer you at all. He can also be a bit aggressive.

Ben is very close to the family of the man's funeral we were attending. This family often invited Ben over to their house and they also took him on family outings with them. They were especially kind to Ben when he lost his mother seven years ago.

While we were waiting for the funeral to begin, Ben kept asking me and Travis to help him find a pen so he could write down our telephone number. Nobody had one, which seemed to agitate Ben.

After the first talk, Ben stood up and walked towards the door. He was motioning and saying very loudly and urgently, “Travis! Come here, Travis! Travis, come here!” Everyone around was staring at Ben, and then Travis, and then back at Ben. Travis looked at me and I shrugged. He then stood up and followed Ben out the door and into the hallway.

After a few moments Travis returned alone. “What did he need—a pen?” I asked. “No,” Travis answered, “he needed a hug.”

Thank you, Travis. For reminding me that sometimes we need to take the time to follow when someone is beckoning for us to come.

From Moment To Memory

From Moment To Memory

By Kimberly Jensen

It rained all day on Memorial Day and spoiled our plans of planting flowers in my parent's flowerbeds. The rain also thwarted plans to drive downtown and visit the graves of my grandparents and Uncle Craig. Instead, we sat inside and made homemade bread while my youngest grabbed an umbrella and squatted on the back patio for a good part of an hour, mezmerized by the raindrops. As I watched the rain it reminded me of our makeshift "memorial day" earlier this year. I had driven with my kids and parents to St. George for a week. On our return home, we were driving the backroads of Fillmore, when my dad asked me to drive him by his childhood home and the graveyard where his grandparents were buried. It was raining that day as we pulled into the cemetary and my dad got out of the car and walked briskly to the back of the cemetary. At this stage in my father's Parkinson's Disease we often wonder where my dad is going and what he is doing. His actions don't always make sense and he often makes unreasonable requests and nonsensical comments. I followed my dad as he led me right to his grandfather's headstone, as if he had walked there a hundred times before. My dad stood there and told me how he would stay overnight at his grandparent's home and wake up to bowl of bread and milk and drizzle it with honey. The rain drizzled down on us as my father shared with me many fond memories of his grandfather. I held his hand and watched my three children stepping gingerly over the headstones and held onto the moment that would soon become just a memory.

Happiness Through His Grace

By Mary Stosich
My sister’s name is Estella Rose.We call her Stella which means Star. She has brilliantly shone with example, beauty and a beckoning spirit. To everyone she radiates invitation to partake of her Christ-given love. She, the oldest child of eight, was sixteen years old when I was born and has held my hand ever since. A few days ago doctors discovered that a melanoma in her eye which was treated two years ago with laser, has returned. Prognosis is now pending.

On Monday we met as a great clan at our parents’ graveside. We siblings, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and cousins gathered to honor and hold in our memory the lives of those who once breathed every breath for our good and happiness. But I could not think of Mom or Dad. I could only watch my beautiful sister with her unfoiled grace, greet and tenderly minister love to each family member. There she was again our “Star,” still brilliant, still beckoning.

There at the cemetery, there in the middle of silenced mortality with headstones, lilacs and peonies, there with wringing sadness in our hearts, the sweet grace of Jesus Christ was our gift, and the two of us held three babies—the latest grandchildren—on our laps. They were absolutely breathtaking moments when we were able to feel strange happiness during our sorrow.

The power of His grace flows warmly over all the cracks and seeps into the wounds of mortality.
The power of His grace beams brightly through the realizations of love; it pulses with memory, true and sure of hope.
The power of His grace seals love, brings birth, stretches years, and softly leads to Heaven.
The power of His grace owns the future with its strung out questions and frightening speed.

This is my happiness still.

Does The Book of Mormon talk about the Oil Crisis?

By Christine Thackeray

This weekend my family and I went camping at Tower Rock in Washington. It was a beautiful three days filled with silly songs, roasted marshmallows and glorious views. Since we were gone over Sunday, my husband got permission from the Bishop for our family to have our own sacrament meeting. I think Greg went a little overboard, asking most of the children to give talks, his sisters and brother and his wife to do songs and prayers and me to teach the Sunday School lesson. It was almost a three hour service by the end.

My topic for the Sunday School lesson was on how the Book of Mormon prepares us for the last days. While my children played a variation of "monkey in the middle" with a soccer ball in the field beside me, I opened the scriptures feeling quite confident that there was nothing new that would impress me. When we lived in Missouri near Adam-ondi-Ahman, there was such fervor over the second coming that I had studied it pretty intensely so that I wasn't sucked into common misconceptions. (Just so you know, there will NOT suddenly come a day when you get a phone call that says you need to be in Missouri by 5pm with your 72 hour kit. In 3 Nephi 21:29 it is pretty clear that if that type of gathering comes, it will "not be in haste, nor by flight.")

Anyway, so as I was once again reading about our day as prophecied by the Savior where he said that the Gentiles would be given the gospel and then dwindle in unbelief because of iniquity, I nodded at the decreased baptismal rate in the states and felt relieved that those who believe in Christ will not be cut off but then came the most fascinating verses of all in 3 Nephi 21: 12-14.

Verse 12 says that the remnant of the house of Jacob (or Lamanites) shall be among the Gentiles (us) as a lion among sheep and will tear them in pieces. I wrote in my margin when I was in high school that this could be in reference to the French and Indian War but given the increased issues with illegal immigration and gang activity, there may be a far more current fulfillment of this prophecy in ways I have never even considered. In Missouri and Oregon I have been amazed by the numbers of immigrants pouring in. According to http://www.immigrationcounters.com/, the total number is estimated at over 21 million and the cost to us as a country is in the billions. Over one million crimes are committed per year by these non-citizens, 2,000 of those crimes being murder and they make up over 25% of our prison population. (See http://www.usillegalaliens.com/impacts_of_illegal_immigration_crime_summary.html)

But the next verse is just as telling when it says "Yea, wo be unto the Gentiles except they repent; for it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Father, that I will cut off their horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy their chariots." What hit me as I read those words was that I never would have considered their fulfillment to come by increasing oil prices. But when you think about it, what are our horses and chariots? Our cars and trucks. It says the horses are going to be cut off but the trucking industry (or chariots) may be destroyed. (Have you looked at the cost of deisil lately?) Food prices have gone up something like 18% in the last two months. This is scary stuff.

So now that I've worked myself into a tizzy, I quickly flipped back to section 38 of the Doctrine and Covenants where it says "if ye are prepared ye shall not fear." The only problem is that we moved last year and I gave away about a thousand of pounds of grain and canned goods. Well, I'm running to Costco to spend our incentive check right now.

A Different View of Death

by Shirley Bahlmann
On Memorial Day, my husband asked if we should do our duty and visit my dad's grave. You may think I'm strange, but I've never felt a compelling need to visit the graves of loved ones. We went to Daddy Dell's grave anyway, and washed off his headstone with a water bottle and an old receipt I found on the floor of my car. (Stupid birds!)
It's possible that my non-compelling desire to visit gravesites may stem from the time I first lost someone close to me. I was thirty three, and felt pretty miserable at Grandma's funeral. She had taken me in after I had my first baby in order to watch over my infant son while I rested. (Said infant son, Andy, is in this picture with me at my dad's funeral. Needless to say, he's no longer an infant.) My sister Rebecca, seeing my sorrow at Grandma's death, said, "Hey, Shirley, isn't it nice to know that Grandma will be there to greet you when it's your turn to die?"
All at once, my view of death did a one-eighty. Having funny, loving Grandma there to help me transition into the next life brought me great comfort indeed. That was something I could live with.
I have nothing against visiting graves. I'm fine with anyone who does it. Live and let live, I say. I just have no need to go there when that's not where my loved one is. They're in a brighter, busier place, but hopefully not too busy to meet the bus when I cross over, leaving my mortal body luggage behind.

How I Got Here

By Marcia Mickelson

When I was sixteen, I earned money for a brand new Mac Plus computer. At the time, that was a huge thing. I loved that computer--it was the joy of my life. That was when it all started. I began writing a novel. I actually thought I had invented LDS literature. I had never heard of Jack Weyland or Dean Hughes. I had only been a member of the LDS Church for two years and still knew very little. I really did not think that books about Mormon characters existed.

I threw myself into writing and could really imagine being published some day. Then, I went to college and had no time for writing. My Mac Plus was used for research papers and my novel was put to the side. Then came marriage, career, and children. There was no time at all for writing, and I rarely thought about that half-done novel from so many years before. I'd since discovered that there was already such a thing as LDS lit, but I didn't read any.

Then, in the summer of 2003, we were in Utah for a summer vacation. We only had a few minutes at the BYU bookstore before we had to hit the road, and I wanted something to read. I quickly scanned the shelves and grabbed a Jack Weyland book. That's what started it all. I was eager to read more and more and more. Later that summer, I was at a friend's house, and she offered to lend me two LDS novels. One of them was by Betsy Brannon Green. That book hooked me. All I wanted was LDS novels. I couldn't get enough.

I searched the LDS publisher websites, spent hours on Amazon and e-bay to get more books. Many late nights ensued as I devoured book after book. Unfortunately, I didn't know about Interlibrary Loan back then, so I bought most of the books on Amazon or e-bay and then sold them back so I could buy more.

Then, I just knew it. I knew I had to pull my old novel out and finish the thing. After more than 10 years of computer technology, my Mac Plus was so outdated, so after many days spent at Kinkos on their computers and after much frustration, I was able to transfer it to a Word document. I spent the next few months finishing it. It was quite awful, actually, but completing it made me realize that I could do it. I could write a novel. I spent months researching the business and read books about how to correctly write a novel. And, that is how I got here.

Lovest Thou Me More Than These? (John 21:15)

By Sidne O'Reilly

O.K, so I have twenty pounds to loose. Ugh! At my stage in life it takes more effort to accomplish what I thought was difficult before. Actually it is not as much the pounds that are a problem but what they are made of and where they are located. In doing research for my Spiritually Based Sustainable Healthy Lifestyle Program, I have come to learn that the biggest danger is not how much you tip the scales. Rather the size of your waistline is the greater indicator of health or the lack there of. A large waistline can put you in increased danger of getting:

“Heart disease
Breast cancer
Diabetes
Metabolic syndrome
Gallbladder problems
High blood pressure
Colorectal cancer “

By Mayo Clinic Staff, Apr 16, 2007, Mayo Clinic.com, Women’s Health, Belly Fat How to Keep it Off. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/belly-fat/WO00128, (Accessed 05/22/08)

Even knowing that is sometimes not enough motivation to make the necessary changes. People are stopped from change by two scenarios:

1. The reasons for change are not important to them
2. They don’t have the confidence, knowledge or skill it takes to make the change.

So in the interest of self-motivation, what is important to me about making the necessary changes to create a spiritually based, sustainable healthy lifestyle?

In D&C 138, it talks about the spirits in paradise waiting to reunite their spirits and their bodies.How they seemed to long to have their bodies back. Do you get the same impression I did? D&C 138:15-17
15 I beheld that they were filled with joy and gladness, and were rejoicing together because the day of their deliverance was at hand.
16 They were assembled awaiting the advent of the Son of God into the spirit world, to declare their redemption from the bands of death.
17 Their sleeping dust was to be restored unto its perfect frame, bone to his bone, and the sinews and the flesh upon them, the spirit and the body to be united never again to be divided, that they might receive a fullness of joy. That they might receive a fullness of joy! So a fullness of joy is possible when the body and the spirit are united? How interesting. Yes, I believe that is true. It is with a healthy body I can complete my purpose here. How I long to do that. How I desire to be with my children and grandchildren as long as possible. How I want to be an influence for good and not a burden because of my poor health habits. I wish to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord as long as I possibly can.

I guess the real question is, “Lovest thou me more than these?” More than enticing food, more than the desire not to exercise? Do I love the Lord more than my lack of desire to figure out how to live the Word or Wisdom more completely? Can I live counter to the culture and eat foods that will promote my health even in public? Do I desire for my life to end on the Lord’s timetable or on the premature timetable that I set by going with the flow?

Is my desire to fulfill my purpose here on earth strong enough to make the needed changes? I have to answer with an unequivocal yes! A resounding yes! Will it be easy? Will I be perfect at it? Certainly not. I will need all the support I can get from my Heavenly Father. One thing I do know, I must prove by my actions that I love the Lord and what he has given me to do more than all of “these.”

I am cheering for you!

The Festival

by Shirley Bahlmann
This past weekend was the annual Scandinavian Festival hosted in little old Ephraim, Utah, under cloudy skies. It didn't rain all the time, but enough that I didn't set up my book booth on Friday. On Saturday, there were sunny spots scattered around the skies, so up went my booth. I spread out my books and greeted passersby and handed out some book marks. By early afternoon, I'd sold about half a dozen books.
Then it was time to go do my storytelling stint, so I recruited my 8-year-old son to watch the booth for me. (This took place at the Ephraim Co-op craft store, so there was a cash register nearby for him to send customers to.) While I was at my storytelling station, my sister surprised me. She'd driven an hour and a half to visit, so when I was done with stories, we walked among the craft booths and finally worked our way back to mine a couple of hours after I put my son in charge. To my surprise, he had sold six books in my absence!
So I left again.
No, not really. My sister took my son down the street for something to eat from one of the vendors, and I stayed in my booth, listening to several people tell me what a good salesman my son was.
He actually started out as a preschooler in a cow costume handing out flyers for my pioneer books. Come to think of it, no one ever refused to take one from him.
From now on, he's coming to all my literary events. That boy has some sales magic in him.

Beware of your Dishwasher

By Rebecca Talley

Thursday night my son loaded our dishwasher and started the wash cycle. My husband and I were upstairs when a daughter rushed into our bedroom and shouted, "The dishwasher is on fire."

We thought she was mistaking steam for smoke, but decided to check it out. Sure enough, the dishwasher was in fact on fire. We hurried to disconnect power to the unit and found that the control panel had caught fire and had even melted in places. We have no idea why.

This dishwasher was a Kenmore with a stainless steel tub that we purchased in late 2003 from our local Sears store. If you happen to own a Kenmore, you may want to be careful when you run it, in case it catches fire.

Not too long ago, a house in our area burned to the ground. The cause was a faulty dishwasher. I shudder to think what might have happened had we not been home.

Be careful when running electrical appliances because you never know when something might malfunction and put your home, or worse, your family, at risk.

From the AML Message Board - contest

The Association for Mormon Letters is pleased to announce their eighth annual Irreantum Fiction Contest and their first annual Charlotte and Eugene England Personal Essay Contest.Because Irreantum is a literary journal dedicated to exploring Mormon culture, all contest entries must relate to the Mormon experience in some way. Authors need not be LDS.

You can go to the Irreantum Contest page on the AML website for more information:http://www.mormonletters.org/irreantum/contest.htmlor you can scroll down and read the information below.

2008 Charlotte and Eugene England Personal Essay ContestAny personal essay up to 5000 words will be considered. The first-place author will be awarded $200, second-place $150, and third-place $100 (unless judges determine that no entries are of sufficient quality to merit awards). Winners agree to give Irreantum first publication rights. Deadline: May 31, 2008

Submission Instructions

Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Please email your entry as an MS Word, WordPerfect, or RTF file attachment to irreantum@mormonletters.org In the subject line, please write "2008 Personal Essay Contest." Include your name, the title of your submission, and your contact information, including address and phone number, in the body of the email. To facilitate blind judging, no identifying information should appear in the essay itself other than the title of the manuscript, which should appear as a header on each page. Winners will be announced by August 31, 2008.

The Charlotte and Eugene England Personal Essay Contest is funded through the estate of Eugene England. 2008 Irreantum Fiction ContestAny fictional form up to 8,500 words will be considered, including short stories and excerpts from novels.The first-place author will be awarded $250, second place $175, and third place $100 (unless judges determine that no entries are of sufficient quality to merit awards). Winners agree to give Irreantum the option to first publication rights. Deadline: May 31, 2008

Submission Instructions

Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Please email your entry as an MS Word, WordPerfect, or RTF file attachment to contest@mormonletters.org In the subject line, please write "2008 Fiction Contest." Include your name, the title of your submission, and your contact information, including address and phone number, in the body of the email. To facilitate blind judging, no identifying information should appear in the story itself other than the title of the manuscript, which should appear as a header on each page. Winners will be announced by August 31, 2008.

The Irreantum Fiction Contest is funded through a grant from the Utah Arts Council. With no official connection to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Irreantum and the Irreantum Fiction Contest are supported by a grant from the Utah Arts Council.

Cotton Candy Joy

By Kimberly Jensen

The line in the grocery store stood five deep as each mother waited her turn to place her purchases on the belt that carried them to the checker. Children of all various shapes, sizes, ages and races hung precariously over the side of the carts, under the carts and over the carts. I stood and smiled as I reveled in my freedom and thought of my precious darlings old enough to be left at home. The harried women tried to contain their brood, their groceries and their sanity among the bright lights and crowded aisles. Kids screamed, spit, bawled and begged. Then something two carts back caught my eye. An older mother was quietly talking to her preteen son as he held onto the cart with both hands. I watched as I saw her speak quiet words to the young man. "Stay right here. I'll be right back." She left him with the cart and walked away to get that last minute item that she forgot to put on her list. He stood there silently but with a smile on his face. The mother returned with two tubs of cotton candy and put them in the cart. "There I've got you your cotton candy," she said as she patted him on the back. She looked up and caught my eye. "He loves this stuff. He'll eat two of them in one sitting," she said smiling not worried about calories or sugar content or the latest news is on childhood nutrition. This mother was just bringing a bit of cotton candy joy to her blind son. He didn't ask for it but she knew the things that brought him joy. Do you know what brings real joy to those around you?