The Making of Me (Mica)

Year two of graduate school- I brought our two kids to the city so we could see Dad on Halloween This week we did mini case studies that dealt with choices of whether or not to spend time with family or focus on career and for whatever reason I wanted to get on a soapbox and share some amazing advice my grandmother gave me early in my marriage that has had a large influence on our family culture.   We had recently moved to Virginia but it felt more like I lived in Virginia with our firstborn and my husband lived in D.C. where he was working and going to school full-time.   He would leave every morning before we woke up and take the train to get to work and then he would get home after dark, exhausted and have to study.   Sunday was often the only day we spent together.   I complained to my Grandma about being a single mom and she in turn shared what she had just read about Brigham Young and mothers who came to him concerned that he was calling...

This week we read "The Challenge to Become" by Elder Dallin H. Oaks. I loved the following quote, " Final  Judgment  is  not  just  an  evaluation  of  a  sum  total  of  good  and  evil  acts—what  we  have  done.  It  is  an  acknowledgment  of  the  final  effect  of  our  acts  and  thoughts—what  we  have  become.  It  is  not  enough  for  anyone  just  to  go  through  the  motions.  The  commandments,  ordinances,  and  covenants  of  the  gospel  are  not  a  list  of  deposits  required  to  be  made  in  some  heavenly  account.  The  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  a  plan  that  shows ...

When I began my journey into parenthood in 2005, I wanted to create a mission statement or goal for myself.  I pondered over this idea for a few months and one day, I felt prompted with what I should strive for. I needed to prepare my children to launch from my home as competent individuals who knew and loved the Lord.  As I discussed this idea with the Spirit, the word MTC came to my mind and that it should be my standard and example.  It gave me specific ideas about what we would do in my home.  I shared this idea that our home needed to be an MTC and that we need to train our children to launch with my husband and we began to pattern our home after the MTC. In October 2012, President Thomas S. Monson announced that the ages men and women could serve missions would be lowered to 18 for our young men and 19 for our young women.  I was floored! My sons both turn eighteen during their senior years, my daughters turn nineteen in the summer right after they gradu...

My husband, oldest daugher and I in front of the Salt Lake Temple on our daughter's 12th birthday This week we focused on perseverance.   The trick to enduring is having a vision.   We read amazing talks by Patricia and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. We read the testimony and journey of our prophet Thomas S. Monson in his first address as a prophet at General Conference.  In his address, Elder Holland shared the vision the early saints had for the Salt Lake Temple and how it sustained them as they endured countless trials.   It was so powerful that I want to record it here I’ll copy the text here and also share a link. At one point, he quotes Brigham Young as saying, “Can you accomplish the work, you Latter-day Saints of these several counties?” he asked. And then in his own inimitable way he answered: Yes; that is a question I can answer readily. You are perfectly able to do it. The question is, have you the necessary faith?”   My husband and I are at the ...