Soul Carving

       Free concerts are music to my ears - even more so when they are designed with families in mind! I was lucky enough to discover one such concert advertised on BYU's website last year. Even though admission was free, online registration was still required. I scored 7 tickets for the whole family (no ticket required for baby!) to enjoy a Saturday morning of Jazz music.        The concert hall was crowded with families. We encourage respectful and quiet attention from our children during performances like this, but it was a big stress-reliever, knowing that should any of the little ones grow restless, we'd have a more sympathetic audience this time! Usher's handed out booster seats so we each had a comfortable view of the band. And one added bonus which I love about attending BYU performances, was the opening prayer. I love that it helps my children recognize the source of all our blessings in...

The Problem We All Live With - painting by Norman Rockwell, 1964        Sitting in the half-light of the college classroom with 2 of my daughters, listening to Ms. Bridges' strong, soothing voice, I was thankful indeed that I hadn't given up. All the waiting and fretting had been worth it.        Weeks before, I had read about the opening night of the Norman Rockwell exhibit at the University's Museum of Art; how Civil Rights icon Ruby Bridges would be speaking, how the lecture was free and open to the public, but seating was limited. What a privilege, I had thought. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for my children. I decided to bring my oldest.        But then, of course, the challenges began to surface. Richard would be out of town that evening on a business trip, so I'd have to arrange for a sitter for the younger kiddos. Then there was a meeting - no, now two meetings I was expected to attend, schedu...

        I'm in need of married, LDS volunteers to help me out with a school research project. I'm enrolled in a Family and Social Sciences Research Methods class at BYU. Please follow the link to take a brief, online survey. https://byu.az1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_3IRNSbhITDDjLVz If you are interested in the results of our research, leave a comment and I will be sure to share our findings with you at the conclusion of our project. If you know of any married, LDS individuals who would be willing to take the survey, please share/repost this link. Our goal is 300 participants.  Thank you, dear readers!