Resenting Religious Rule

I’m beginning to understand the frustration non-Mormons in Utah feel with the political influence exerted by the dominant religion. The Republican presidential nominations for the past several cycles have been dominated by evangelicals.  Now, I have nothing against evangelicals—some of my nearest and dearest adhere to that faith—I’m just reluctant to have them choose a major [...]

Real Men and Real Women

“I think I’m losing my masculinity,” George said yesterday after attending a League of Women Voters meeting with me. “I’ve been doing the Susan Komen Race for the Cure—even wearing the T-shirt with pink logo. Now, I’m thinking of joining the League of Women Voters.” (The LWV has included male members for several years). George [...]

Socio-economic Shake-up

A teacher friend told me the junior high in an older neighborhood of our suburban town has slipped from top spot in the district. When enrollment declined due to an aging population, students from a newer, less expensive housing development were bussed in. Many homes in the new development have been foreclosed and are being [...]

The Gospel According to Man

Reading the epistles of Paul sometimes makes me wish the New Testament ended with the Gospel of John—although I wouldn’t mind having the Gospel of Thomas included in the canon. Paul has never been my favorite NT writer even though he composed some beautiful verses such as his 1 Corinthians 13 essay on charity (“love” [...]

A Tweet in Time . . . .

At our League of Utah Writers meeting this week, we discussed using Facebook, Twitter, and making online comments on newspaper and other websites to get our names and faces before the public and create an audience for our writing. Of course, writers and bloggers do this—although sometimes with a sense of shame. We’ve all been [...]

Giving So It Doesn’t Hurt

Last Sunday at the Big Heart Zen Center, Minverva, the discussion leader, used Big Mind  techniques to facilitate a look at the “Giver” aspect of our personalities. Several of us were confused when she asked us to identify as the voice of the Giver disowned by the Self. In Big Mind workshops, we usually identify a [...]

The Lesson I Didn’t Teach

The other day, George picked up my copy of Spencer Johnson’s 1998 best seller, Who Moved My Cheese?. “Looks like a good book,” he said as he turned the pages. “Yes, and I still regret not sharing it with the Relief Society in our Sandy ward.” I read the book several years ago as part [...]

Centering Life

Romeo and Juliet speak some of Shakespeare’s most beautiful lines: “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?/It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.” And, “Give me my Romeo, and when I shall die,/ Take him and cut him out in little stars,/ And he will make the face of heaven so fine,/And [...]

One of Us

I was pleased at the way Jon Huntsman handled the debates this weekend and his last-minute surge in the New Hampshire primary. He’s intelligent without being condescending, confidant without being arrogant, and comes across as a caring individual with realistic goals. He makes Mormons look good. I have been less happy with Mitt Romney’s 2008 [...]

After I’ve Gone

  My friend Edith inherited her parents’ house, a 1940s showplace in its day. The house has been mostly empty for 30 years, but Edith can’t bring herself to part with it and its memories. She plans to leave it to a daughter rather than having it sold and the money divided. “Better ask your [...]