applepansy

Yes, several. And has others have stated, from the outside things look fine. A member/non-member marriage can work if there is respect between the spouses as with all marriages. Religion is a big difference but it can still work. Additionally: When the "I am a Mormon" videos came out there was one of a man who had joined the church, but his wife hadn't.

Anatess, I agree with you. I would like to add that its not just the media though. Its the weatlhy socialist backers who are really running this dog and pony show. Obama is just the face of the snake. JAG, thanks for sharing.

I'm sorry Suzie. Living through those things are extremely difficult. (((soft hugs)))

:) There are worse things than death.

Dean Koontz Maeve Binchey hmmmmm.... mind just went blank again. Love Harry Potter Oh.... The Inkheart series. Author: Cornelia Funke Christopher Paolini (books are Erogon, etc.) hmmmmm....blank again

There is LDS culture and then each ward/stake have their own sub-culture. The sub-culture can be changed over time... s l o o o o o o o w l y. Not all members ask for marital status before introducing themselves. Most in fact don't. I'm sorry you've run into a few who do. Ask questions in R.S. If you get an answer you aren't comfortable with ask Heavenly Father in prayer or ask a member you trust or us here at lds.net. Only Heavenly Father's answer will be the right one every time. Its possible to teach the gospel while we're learning it ourselves just by asking questions.

In my ward we're repeating YW.

All of J.R.R. Tolkien. Clive Cussler Tom Clancy Robert Jordan - Wheel of Time Series (Mr. Jordan passed away so Brandon Sanderson finished the last book. Brandon Sanderson Weiss and Hickman (Hickman is LDS)

Death is a doorway, just like Birth is a doorway. So that's how I deal with it. I will miss the person but I KNOW where they are going and that I will see them again. I worked in home care and hospice. I've had experiences that helped me gain a testimony of what to expect when we die and after. As a child in the 60s I listened to the experiences my mother had as an RN when a patient passed away. (Confidentiality wasn't compromised, not names or specific information about the patient.) The book Grieving: The Pain and the Promise was another resource that taught me about death. I will always remember the first patient who died on my watch. There are a few others I will always remember. These people and families were either very sure of life after death and handled the death of a loved one in a remarkable way OR it was a patient and family who didn't believe in life after death. The ones who didn't believe didn't deal with death well. I am so very grateful for the knowledge I've received through scriptures, family and work. Understanding that Life is bigger than what happens on this earth has helped me love my Heavenly Father more. After reading through the thread I would like to add: I have lost a child. He was 21 when he was in a car accident (he was in the back seat). It was very difficult and even though its been 14 years (last Nov), it is still difficult sometimes. Even with all the problems he had brought on himself I would love to have him back. The morning after he died we were at my husband's grandmother's funeral. My husband and I were dry eyed. But other family members were devastated. I remember my husband's brother-in-law saying something about he was crying because I wasn't. My MIL was beside herself and as friends came up to her one said "I didn't realize you were so close to your mother-in-law." Which then made the tears worse as she had to explain that the family had lost a grandchild the night before. Because I had been blessed to understand Life I think I was better prepared. Also, I was spiritually prepared several years before in a sacred experience. I knew I would out-live my oldest son. I had time to deal with some of it. So when it finally happened and while it was sudden, I wasn't taken by surprise and neither was my husband. Because we were prepared we were better able to help others deal with their grief. Again I noticed the striking difference between those who truly believe in life after death and those who only hope or don't believe.

8-12 yos can mow the lawn, weed, paint walls, do housework, etc. They can read to someone. They can visit. 8-12 yos have the ability to do just about anything as long as they are willing to learn how. When I was about 7 or 8, my grandmother had fallen and broke her hip. She had surgery. My Dad and my aunt were worried about her being alone. She also needed help standing up from a sitting position. There was no one else so I was taught how to use a phone that couldn't be dialed. This was back in the 60s and while rotary phones were common, but the Belvedere Apartments in SLC had an operator. So you picked up the phone and gave her the exchange and 4-digit number. I knew how to dial a phone but I didn't know how to tell an operator what number. So I learned. I spent the night with my grandmother. I helped her up to the bathroom during the night. And I helped get breakfast in the morning. We also visited and I learned wonderful things about my Grandmother. It was a wonderful experience that I'll never forget. Its also an experience that a child would not get in today's world. Children are more capable than we give them credit for. :)

I read a bit about tasers when they were first added to law enforcement. As most here know I have Fibromyalgia. The thoughts of being tased makes me shudder. Just a bump in the road while driving in the car can cause more pain for days. I will do everything I can to make sure I'm never tased. :) I am happy that police officers were given a non-lethal tool to use in their job. I'm glad to see that there are fewer injuries on both sides.

Aw Maureen, this makes me sad. We all get to choose when we're offended and we have the ability to choose to not be offended. I had hoped that a discussion about being divisive or inclusive would have brought the humor and a heartfelt discussion, which it started to do. I laughed at Mirkwood's post. It was meant as a joke and I found it funny in the context of the thread. You didn't. I get it. But being divisive just makes my point further. I try really hard to follow a simple rule for myself here at lds.net. The rule is: If I don't have anything positive to add to the thread, don't post." That's my personal rule. I haven't always been successful but I'm human and I'm improving. There have been times when I've typed out several paragraphs, re-read, realized I needed to be more positive but couldn't think of the words to make it so, so .... I deleted my reply and didn't respond to the post. I try to do this in real life too. I choose to not be offended. Right now my husband and I are dealing with a difficult situation with a neighbor in need. He can be verbally abusive. We ignore it and choose to not be offended. But other people who are trying to help are allowing themselves to be offended, which is making life for difficult for those who are trying to cheerfully help. Its very difficult. The talk by Elder Bednar is appropriate at this point in the thread: "And Nothing Shall Offend Them" I had hoped that this thread would be a small step to create a more inclusive atmosphere here.

The Tale of Three Trees by Angela Elwell Hunt. This is a beautiful children's book. The story surprised me and brought me to tears. Its one we will be buying in hardback.

I will never understand these issues. Its all pretend. Its not real. Its a portrayal. Movies can seem real. Plays can seem well. But in the end they aren't real life. They are a story. I understand wanting something to be portrayed accurately. If there was a movie made about Chronic Pain I would expect the actor to "portray" what its really like to live with Chronic Pain. I do not understand the attitude of the Heckler. From the picture he looks very feminine shaved and in makeup. I agree with Jared Leto's reply to the heckler. If the actor can pull it off they should have the opportunity. That's their chosen career/craft. Some people will like it and some won't. If nobody goes to see the movie then producers and directors won't cast that actor in a similar role again. I don't have an "adversion" to certain actors playing certain roles. However, there are some actors I think are better than others in shedding themselves and getting into character. I like movies where I stop seeing the actor and see the character. Those actors are rare.

That would be amazing Pam. Hubby and I are going to try to go back down this month. We thought the exhibit, a temple session and dinner would be a great date.

I agree. But that's not where these discussions lead. If I remember correctly, didn't Carol's introduction to the survey (I can't copy verbatim because I did the survey and can't go back) say something about worry/anxiety in women who have been sealed in the temple and can't find worthy men to date because of the sealing. If there is worry and anxiety there is often (not always) contention and heartache. Needless heartache if we do as commanded and allow the Atonement to work for us. When we truly believe Heavenly Father loves us this worry goes away. It doesn't change how other people choose to exercise their agency. But there have been enough good men marry women for time in the temple to believe that through Christ anyone can find peace on this subject.

Congratulations

I agree. But again.... Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us. If you truly believe that and you lay your concerns at the feet of Christ the anxiety goes away.

Why? What about my statement bothers you?

Congratulations!

Robert Millet has a great book on this subject. It was very helpful to me when our oldest son started being rebellious.

I took the survey and now I'm not sure it was the right thing to do. I'm uncertain how Carol will use the information. She can't possibly get a good cross section of LDS members because the only members who will be participating in the survey are actively online. I know people who aren't "actively" online. I'm sure many of you do too. I can't see how she's going to get a representative opinion. As for the sealing policy: So many times I think those who are upset by it forget the purpose of sealing. We perform sealings as living ordinance and an ordinance for the dead. The reason is so that we are all connected in the Family of our Heavenly Father. If you believe Heavenly Father loves you then why is there so much heartache over this issue? He's not going to force anyone into circumstances where they won't be happy. And before we have to choose we will understand everything. I know I'm older than dirt. But, when I was a child back in the 60s my parents were friends with another couple who had five girls. She had been sealed before and on their honeymoon he was killed in a car accident. I remember playing on the floor while the adults talked about the issue of sealing. I remember hearing the conversations my parents had about it between themselves (not realizing children do listen.) What I remember was a sense of peace from the 2nd husband, from the wife, from my parents. The peace came from the knowledge that Heavenly Father love his children. If we truly believe that Heavenly Father loves us then speculation over these issues just causes turmoil and contention.

I agree. This is not simple when love is involved. She/He needs to consider two things. 1) We have been commanded to multiply and replenish the earth. Its part of the sealing ceremony. 2) Obedience to Heavenly Father and Faith that He knows the person and their heart needs to play a role. This is a test. As everything in this life is. The person gets to decide. Another thought I have is. What is the person who doesn't want children willing to do to prevent pregnancy? Anything short of surgery isn't 100% effective birth control. What will this person do if pregnancy occurs despite other birth control methods. (There are cases of pregnancy after vasectomy and tubal ligation). Something to think about.... because Heavenly Father sends babies when he wants them to come regardless of what we do or don't do to prevent it.

There are too many examples to count. When my 32 yo was a Senior in High School I had an interesting discussion with him and his girlfriend (at the time) about this topic. I wanted to know what they were seeing in high school. The list wasn't very long. That was 14 years ago. Now... There has been a good effort made to list all the instances/circumstances on this thread. I can't imagine it will get worse, but I know it will.

I LOVE Sail. I also like Steam Powered Girraffe's Honeybee: