The winner by a hair

I've heard of bishoprics holding beard-growing contests. I've grown and shaved off three different beards during our lock-down. How's your face holding out?

It's what's for dinner

Those masks are supposed to help keep the scary things out of your system, right?

It's all about growth

About a week or so ago, they had a day when the seniors could go into the school building to turn in their books, pick up their graduation robes, and clean out whatever they wanted from their lockers. There weren't a lot of them who gathered stuff from their lockers!

He's on a short leash

There was a student who tried to use the excuse that his dog destroyed his homework so he couldn't submit it. The thing is, his homework should have been done electronically so it could be submitted electronically. Which begs the question, just what did the dog do to destroy the homework?

Sounds of silence

Some folks started the Phase I of returning to church this past Sunday. I imagine there was a lot less whispering than usual!

Sketchbook: Who was that in that mask?

I loved the photos the Church sent out to show proper social distancing at sacrament meeting. The deacons looked awesome in their protective masks!

Overdue

I got a haircut yesterday for the first time since the end of February. This is exactly what it felt like!

When there's nowhere to go...

Our county just opened up to Phase I — which means a few more businesses can open and restaurants can take a limited number of dine-in customers. But it turns out, a lot of people don't want to go anywhere!

Going back

The guidelines for going back to church have been released, and some wards have been cleared to meet again. Things are looking up!

All the world

It's inspiring to see how creative and resilient today's missionaries are! In our mission we've seen missionaries with a regularly scheduled online lesson, sisters putting together marvelous musical numbers, one pair has been doing (very rough) animated scripture stories. With missionaries being reassigned, it's an arguable point that no one is really beyond mission boundaries!

Full court press

Sketchbook: Death mask

As Count Rugen said in The Princess Bride: "If you haven't got your health, then you don't really have anything."

My guess is that Thanatos qualifies as essential personnel. 

A tremor in the Force

This is what happens when you do a Star Wars marathon while in lock down.

Total recall

Most of the missionaries from our area have received their temporary assignments and are excited to be heading back out!

One bite at a time

There are definitely going to be some gaps in my food storage that will need to be refilled once this whole COVID-19 thing is over. I know I haven't stored nearly enough Reese's Pieces, and the five jars of salsa didn't last nearly as long as I hoped they would. I won't even mention the ice cream situation!

One with everything

There was one week early in our lockdown where a "varied diet" meant that we ordered from a different pizza place every night. Somebody has to keep them in business, right?

By their masks ye shall know them

A member of our ward popped up in my Facebook feed as a friend suggestion the other day. I looked and looked, and I thought: "I used to go to church with their family, but I haven't seen any of them for a long time!"

And then I remembered that I haven't seen anybody — in person — for a long time. Weird.

Sketchbook: Stand back

The scriptures can indeed be likened unto us. Nephi and Abinadi both told people to stay away and not touch them. And when Abinadi returned "in disguise," was he wearing...a mask?

Stay healthy!

Burdens to be borne

OK, I think I have officially set a new record for the longest caption for a cartoon anywhere!

Sometimes it seems like we enjoy comparing trials and hardships. It really doesn't make any sense. We're much better off using our energy to count our blessings!

I know this particular gag is a variation on jokes that have been going around on social media, and it would have been more timely a couple of weeks ago (although we're far from out of the woods with COVID-19 yet). But it begs the question: just how much did we know before coming to this point in time?

One last thing. There are a couple of cameos in this cartoon. Can you spot them all?

Curse you, coronavirus!

My wife bought me a Snoopy protective mask to wear in public. It got me to thinking how Snoopy may have responded to the coronavirus. I can see him as the world-famous doctor. I could also see him in his World War I flying ace uniform, ready to take off and fight the disease.

What I settled on was the most likely scenario. Wear a mask, and stay home!

Forced perspective

It's Teacher Appreciation Week. I certainly appreciate the teachers I know! Thank you!

Tell you what I want, what I really, really want...

Time with the kids? Check!

May the Fourth be with you, this day and always

Hey! I got to make up some memes at work that don't have anything to do with COVID-19! Well, maybe indirectly — traffic on the freeways has been way down, so the people who are out seem to be driving faster. Even in work zones!  We had folks pulled over for blasting through work zones at more than 100 mph! And the thing is, while it's dangerous for the workers, it's usually the people who are driving who get hurt the most...and the worst!

Let's be safe out there!

I may be a bit biased, but I like the Luke one the best.

What? An award?

Yesterday I was honored to receive an award from the Association for Mormon Letters. My cartoon collection, That's One Small Step for a Mom, One Giant Leap for Missionarykind. won the 2019 award in the Comics category.

Here's what they said in their write-up:

That’s One Small Step for a Mom, One Giant Leap for Missionarykind is the latest collection of cartoons from Kevin Beckstrom. As a cartoonist, Beckstrom is best known for his regular contributions to the New Era, the official youth magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yet most of his work has appeared on his personal comics blog BeckstromBuzz and his various social media platforms, where he has published a new comic or cartoon virtually every day for more than a decade. His simple, distinctive style has become instantly recognizable to Latter-day Saints throughout the world. And his charming sense of humor has made more than a few Latter-day teenagers chuckle at themselves and their fellow Saints.

 That’s One Small Step delivers what it promises: smile-inducing cartoons about Mormon missionaries and the families that support them (from afar) for eighteen months to two years. It pokes fun at many of the situations that have become staples of the missionary experience: eccentric companions, unpredictable weather, hard-to-learn languages, and odd investigators. The cartoons are like the quirky snapshots in a missionary’s photo album, but they are also tributes to the young women and men who submit themselves to daily unpredictability in the cause of Jesus Christ and His message of peace. Indeed, Kevin Beckstrom’s cartoons remind us why we should value missionaries and their selfless service. 

I am honored and humbled, but most of all I'm excited to see that people read my cartoons! Thank you!

Enough with the shameless self-promotion. Have a great day!

The hope of a new May

I've heard it said that fasting without a purpose is just going hungry. I think this particular idea is one that we could all rally behind!

Who was that masked companion?

Well, the good news is that the missionaries who came home for COVID-19 are starting to go back out. I take that to be a good sign!