Our (Neurodiverse) Family

Yesterday, the internet news world ignited with news that Kate Kelly (founder of Ordain Women) and John Dehlin (the man behind Mormon Stories) are facing the possibility of excommunication. To those who are not familiar with disciplinary counsels in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, it would seem like this is some kind of a witch hunt. It's not. While I am not intimately familiar with the workings of disciplinary counsels, I have learned about how they work. My dad served as a bishop when I was in high school and my father-in-law is currently serving as bishop. I alos have many relatives who have served in leadership callings--in fact, my grandmother's cousin is currently a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, though I have never met him. Here is the first thing you need to know about disciplinary counsels: they are NOT made public. Great pains are taken to keep them as discreet as possible to protect the individual's privacy. My dad couldn'...

In this week before Easter, many LDS bloggers are sharing their testimonies of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. I am including myself among these voices. One of my favorite parts of the video I share with this post is the quote "despair becomes hope." As someone who has been battling depression and anxiety for most of my life, I can attest to this. Of course, those who know my story  probably wonder how it is possible for me to continue having faith through my battle with mental illness. Let me tell you: it hasn't been easy. In fact, there have been times when I've very nearly given up. There were times when my pain was so unbearable that I did not think I could go on, where there was even a part of me that wished to die so I could be free of the pain of my depression and anxiety. I felt alone, so very alone. I even came to a point where I was convinced that no one would care if something bad happened to me. I felt like no one understood. When no one else know...

"As you start to write, you could ask yourself, 'How did God bless me today?' If you do that long enough and with faith, you will find yourself remembering blessings. And sometimes, you will have gifts brought to your mind which you failed to notice during the day, but which you will then know were a touch of God’s hand in your life."--Henry B. Eyring, October 2007 General Conference I will never forget the weekend when President Eyring gave this talk. I had just been diagnosed with depression and anxiety and had just started receiving counseling through the BYU Counseling Center for it. I was also going through a lot of trials--roommate issues, friend problems, changing my major, grandfather dying...yeah, it wasn't a happy semester. I feel sorry for everyone who either lived with me or had to put up with me somehow, because I was a mess.  Going into conference, I had prayed for counsel in facing these trials, and then President Eyring stood up to give this ta...

Image Credit What is food storage? Food storage is exactly what it sounds like: storing food. But why would we Americans need to store food? Most of us aren't farmers anymore, and if you're like me, you live close to at least one grocery store. Surely this is unnecessary! Wrong! Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are counseled to have at least a few-months' supply of food, water, and to have money in savings. For those of you who aren't Mormon but know people who are, you might have noticed that we tend to have a lot of food. Some of you might even have that neighbor who is pretty much preparing for the end of the world, and therefore has enough food storage to feed a city. Oh, and let's not forget the ammo to keep looters from getting to it. But why have food storage? Well, you never know what's going to happen. For all you know, a huge hurricane could hit your town, and the grocery stores could be empty for weeks. Wouldn't i...

Food storage we got for free from a moving neighbor.  Friday postings will be dedicated to food storage. Talking about it, sharing tips, recipes, etc. I came up with this myself ;) I'm pretty sure my mother and mother-in-law are going to *love* this series. Although I wonder just how original this is... One of our neighbors is moving, and he came by today to tell us that he was giving away his food storage. He's moving into a smaller place, so he isn't going to have room for it. I went for it because how often do you get food storage for FREE? Rarely. Out of the deal, I got a huge jug of whole wheat spaghetti noodles, flaxseeds, and rice pilaf. This gift was what has inspired this blogging series. And I was going to post about the tasty "Mexican" casserole that I made last night. I'll do that tomorrow. Next week, I'll tell you what food storage is! But for now, I'll direct you to  Provident Living  for your learning pleasure.

I am a believer in real food and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (aka the Mormon church).  What does this all mean? First off, I avoid processed foods as much as possible, and mostly cook from scratch. The reason for this is that processed foods are not only unhealthy, but also expensive (and I don't have a lot of money). Secondly, because of my religious beliefs, I abide by a dietary law known as the Word of Wisdom. The first thing that comes to mind to those familiar with The Word of Wisdom is what we *can't* have (coffee, tea, alcohol, tobacco, or hard drugs). A lot of people don't think about the things we *can* have, such as... Herbs and fruits in season (this does include vegetables) Grains Meat sparingly There is some debate within the LDS community about what eating meat "sparingly" means. There are some people who believe that it means eating a vegetarian or vegan diet, and only having meat during ...