I Almost Lost My Sister

Whether directly or indirectly, most people’s lives have been affected by someone who has suffered from some form of depression. And when someone close to you goes so far as to attempt suicide, your feelings and thoughts can range from confused to angry to guilty.

This month’s New Era includes a story called “I Almost Lost My Sister,” which, as the title suggests, was written by a young woman whose sister tried to kill herself. This young woman’s description of her reaction to her sister’s desperate act is poignant because it is so accurate and human.

This story has no miraculous ending, though it is a happy one, of sorts. And the lesson the author learns is no less impressive than a miracle: to cherish our family relationships and to “fight to keep the relationships strong.”

I’m glad to have these sorts of personal narratives in addition to the more general, clinical, or principle-based articles on subjects such as this.

Grasshoppers, Purple Bathtubs, and Other Surprises

As we all know from reading the comments of bloggernacle denizens who studiously read the Church magazines each month, the stories in the magazines never reflect the real lives of average Latter-day Saints. They’re just pablum, eyewash, mini-sermons that are sanitized for general LDS consumption.

Well, I, of course, disagree somewhat with that assessment, and I would like to offer as proof the article “Grasshoppers, Purple Bathtubs, and Other Surprises” from this month’s Ensign. It’s a quite humorous tale of one woman’s journey from confident and idealistic new mother who had studied child development in college to harried and all-too-realistic mother of four who constantly has to deal with surprises her schooling did not prepare her for.

Her experiences have given her some wise insights. For instance:

“I’ve learned some of life’s most valuable lessons from preschool children: to greet each day with enthusiasm and eagerness; to pursue adventure despite obstacles; to delight in new discoveries; to enjoy spontaneous fun; to regard the eating of toothpaste and the emptying of sand-filled shoes on the carpet as minor problems, not major catastrophes.”

For these and many other descriptions of situations all parents can relate to, read the full article. Maybe it’s not the nitty-gritty, questioning fare you’ll find on many a Mormon blog, but it really doesn’t pull any punches and actually gives some good advice.

Good Sports

Now that the 2008 Olympics have begun, the media and general public will be showing a great deal of interest in sports that haven’t been mentioned on the air or in print in, oh, I’d say about four years. The same goes for the participants. Because of this increased interest, it’s not surprising that LDS-themed publications, such as the Church News and Mormon Times, are covering the LDS athletes in Beijing.

In a slightly different (and welcome) vein, this month’s New Era contains an article called “Good Sports,” which profiles eight young LDS athletes who have achieved success in their sports and who discuss how their “participation in athletics has helped them better understand and live the gospel and has taught them how to maintain balance in their lives.”

None are Olympic athletes (though it seems that a couple could be someday), and they all have strong testimonies of the gospel. I particularly like the story of the 14-year-old boy from England who competes in tae kwon do. He has a great story and some interesting things to say.

To see some pictures of these athletes, read the PDF version of the article.

Extra Smile Online

For the first time, the New Era has posted online one of the comics from its humor section, The Extra Smile. You can find it on the New Era’s home page. I’ll let you be the judge of how funny this particular comic is (the caption is on the New Era’s page). In any event, it’s there, and it appears that the New Era may update this feature periodically.

Joseph Smith’s “Forgotten” Brother

Some may know him as one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon and one of the first missionaries of this dispensation, and others may know him as the man who brought the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum back to Nauvoo from Carthage. But in this month’s Ensign, we all get to know Samuel H. Smith a little better as the great and humble man that he was.

The article, simply titled “Samuel H. Smith,” gives a run-down of facts about Samuel’s life, as well as quotes from those who knew him. It focuses on what a hard worker he was and how his willingness to take care of temporal labors allowed his brothers to have “more freedom to fulfill their missions relative to the Restoration of the gospel.”

I’m sure most people probably didn’t know much of the information in the article, aside from some Church history buffs and descendants of Samuel Smith. I like the story about his being shot at on the way from Nauvoo to Carthage. There’s even a picture of it in the article (which you can see in the PDF version).

I see Samuel in a similar light as other brothers of prophets, such as Sam, Shiblon, and Jared, each of whom was likely a great man in his own right but who is not featured prominently in our records. However, we can all take comfort in the knowledge that our contributions are known to the Lord. As Joseph Smith Sr. said to Samuel in a blessing, “Thou shall hear [the Lord’s] voice [saying] Samuel, Samuel. Thou shalt be equal to thy brethren.”

How Long Are You Going to Keep Me?

This month’s New Era contains a sweet little story about an LDS family who adopted a Chinese girl, who always asked them a certain question. In “How Long Are You Going to Keep Me?” the author, Ryan Marie Lusvardi, tells of the various ways his family answered his new sister’s question, telling her that they were going to be with her forever. In addition, he mentions his sister’s attempts to identify with her family:

“Lily had her own system of deciding who was Chinese. She decided our mother, who has dark brown hair, was Chinese because, as Lily put it, ‘Your hair is like mine.’ When my skin became brown in the sun, Lily would say, ‘You’re kind of Chinese because your skin is like mine.’” Lily looked for and found ways each member of our family was like her.”

One of the nicest parts of the story is the artwork, which is by an artist from mainland China. You can see it in the PDF.

Motley Vision Blog on Teichert Article

The LDS blog A Motley Vision recently commented on the article “And Thus We See,” which appears in the August Ensign and features several of Minerva Teichert’s Book of Mormon paintings. As blogger William Morris says, “The Ensign’s art direction is sometimes criticized in Mormon cultural circles. Often justly. But I think it should also be applauded when it delivers.” Can’t fault that logic.

It seems that opinions about Minerva Teichert are divided in the general LDS populace. Some love her, and some, well, don’t. Personally, I like her style. And though I also like Friberg in a way, I enjoy the differences in Teichert’s paintings (for instance, depicting Abinadi as a fully clothed, young to middle-aged man instead of a sinewy octogenarian).

The article is now online and includes links to large versions of the images.

Mormon Singles, This Ensign’s for You

The August 2008 Ensign contains further proof that the magazine is trying to include more articles for young single adults. This issue contains a sort of mini-package of articles for unmarried Church members who are between 18 and 30.  

“Single and Steadfast: Lessons in Hope” was written by Sisters Christine S. Packard and Wendy Ulrich, mental health counselors who frequently work with (and are parents of) young single adults. They offer suggestions for “finding satisfaction, meaning, and happiness in life” by confronting a sense of loss and then learning “to live more peacefully with ‘what is,’ neither ignoring nor overemphasizing the future.” They discuss the following points:

• Acknowledging pain—without dwelling on it
• Redefining success
• Shaping a flexible support network
• Developing coping skills for adult life
• Seeing what we might gain

At the end of the article the Ensign asks singles to share their experiences on a variety of issues related to single life in the Church, showing that they plan to include even more articles for young single adults in the future.

“Finding Comfort in King Benjamin’s Counsel,” by Amanda LeSueur, is a nice story about how one young woman comforted her roommates by sharing counsel from the scriptures.

And “Making the Most of Our Single Years,” by Russell Stevenson, offers five principles that can help make dating a more rewarding process.

As young single adults are represented more in the Ensign, they may become more engaged by it and share more of their own stories. Over time, the face of the Ensign may change somewhat as a result. I suppose that could be a good thing.

Do You Want to Go to Primary with Me?

Do you have a desire to share the gospel but find yourself at a loss for how to approach people? This month the Friend magazine includes a story by a young girl whose friend asked her a simple question during recess. In “Do You Want to Go to Primary with Me?” you can read about how this girl and her mother reacted to this question and where it eventually led.

The lesson for us is that we should not hesitate to extend the simple invitations that can make all the difference to those we care about. I suppose it’s one of those ways of becoming like a little child, as the Savior asked us to do.

Now, if only elders quorum were as much fun as Primary. Maybe if we brought some crayons and coloring pages.

Now Is the Time

In the July New Era is an article called “Now Is the Time” about young Latter-day Saints in Ukraine, a country where the Church itself is still quite young. The stories of how they gained a testimony of the restored gospel and how they are learning to serve and lead in the Church are inspiring.

It’s always great to see the modern pioneers around the world and to consider that the Church is still very much a first-generation Church in many places. For those of us whose families have been in the Church for several generations, reading stories like this can put our own membership in a different perspective.

On a side note, if you pay attention to the publication information in the New Era, you’ll notice that the author of this article, Janessa Cloward, was an editorial intern at the New Era earlier this year. The New Era obviously did not send an intern to Ukraine to write the article. She seems to have collected the information and photographs from Church-service missionaries serving in Ukraine. So she didn’t need an expensive trip or an interpreter or translator to get the story. So, all things considered, it worked out well.