When can I be done?

Which is more of a challenge: writing a history for an ancestor, or writing your own personal history? 
 

Sketchbook: One for the books

We were lucky. Yes, the first kid had a ton of photos — but so did the last. Not because we were great documentarians. It was more of a function of changes in technology that made it easier to take photos.

The oldest has albums; the youngest has files.
 

Running on solar energy

Funny, the scriptures talk about how we should be the light of the world. It doesn't say anything about being the heat of the world.
 

Smell of success

I can only imagine what that fragrance would smell like.

We had to run a cartoon about sister missionaries today because today is the birthday of our ward's very own sister missionary, Sis. Imlay! Happy birthday, and thank you for your service!

 

On the other hand...

I struggled with the concept of left and right for the longest time. Then someone pointed out to me that if you hold your hands in front of you, palms out, your right thumb points to your left hand. That clarified everything.
 

Primary prep

A good teacher knows how to make adjustments on the fly. 
 

Sketchbook: Go unto the mount

Not that this ever happened to me as a missionary...
 

And why are they not frozen?

I remember one area where everything we had was frozen. We hung up our laundry to dry — and it didn’t thaw out for almost a week!
 

Primary: The gift that keeps on giving

I know I'm always worn out after we sing Once There Was A Snowman in Primary!
 

Family ties

Another from the Disney series. 

I've never had the experience of picking up the wrong kid. However, when I was about eight years old, I glommed on to the wrong family one time, and as a parent I've accidentally left behind a kid or two for a very short time. And one time as a parent I tried to load the kids into the wrong car. I knew it was the wrong car right away, though. The seats were clean and the floors weren't sticky enough!

 

Over their heads

With all the recent headlines about incursions into sovereign airspace, I wondered who else might need to be careful in their travels.

Have a safe and happy Valentine's Day!
 

Sketchbook: Power of the word

 

Who's at the door?

Primary kids are good about letting you know that you're loved.
 

Cold feet

I can relate. I spent the first month in the mission field frozen solid. 
 

A little deeper

This was in my sketchbook, and my plan was to leave it there. But it kept nudging me, and making me think. 

When I was eight, I was pretty sure I understood what baptism was. Then as a missionary, I learned more and understood more, and saw the change it made in people’s lives. 

Now I’m a little bit older, and I’m learning more and understanding more about this important ordinance. I better understand where Nicodemus was coming from. Like so many things in the gospel, there are layers and levels of meaning. 
 

Halfway there

The new semester just started in our local schools. It's possible I heard this line not from a student...but rather a member of the faculty or staff. Possibly.
 

Sketchbook: Heaven’s Gate

This is less of an outright gag and more of, well, a sketchbook. With Come, Follow Me, we’ve had a lot of discussion on repentance — what it is and what it isn’t. I’ve heard people say they haven’t had to repent for months, yet I hear admonitions from leadership exhorting us to repent daily. 

This much I know: the more we repent, the less time we’ll have to wait in line. 
 

The Family of the Baskervilles

Actually, I think Sherlock Holmes would be an amazing genealogist. He could certainly track down the most hidden of ancestors
 

Down for the count

Sometimes people forget that sitting in a pew at church doesn't make one invisible. It's amazing the things that ward clerks see when they make the count.
 

What is this stuff coming down?

This is the kind of thing we run into all the time in the Pacific Northwest.