Where have all the good men gone?

My sister pointed something out to me and I didn’t at first believe her. Until I looked. I started to observe the media, to really see what they were telling us. ‘The Simpsons’, ‘Family Guy’, Home Improvement’, ‘The King of Queens’, and so many more show the man to be useless, dumb, and unnecessary. They make for a good laugh. They are the punch line. IKEA ran a commercial where there was too much stuff to all fit in/on the car, so the husband road on the roof and the wife drove away with a smile. A cartoon, ‘The Pride Family’, portrays the father as being a fool who the daughter and wife laugh at. The classic fairy tale where the hero rescues the heroin is practically done away with.

It’s come on so subtly that I wasn’t even aware of its existence. I began to see that the world proclaimed and celebrated something that wasn’t the truth. In fact, this ‘celebration’ was damaging to our eternal happiness and wholeness. This idea is a simple one, yet so far reaching. It is the confusion of the roles of men and women, and the idea that men are worthless and unnecessary to our overall fulfillment and happiness...and that the only way to be an honorable woman is to do everything and beat up all the men in the process.

I have nothing against tough or independent women, I’m one myself. I wrestled in high school, have held more men dominated jobs than not, and enjoy outdoor activities more than most. But I am still a woman. My divine nature is that of nurturing, rearing, and lifting up my husband and children. I am not complete without a man to stand by my side, just as he is not complete without me. God made us both, individually divine, and very different from each other. ‘The Family: A Proclamation to the World’ tells us what our divine roles are and how to honor ourselves and the Lord by honoring our roles. To celebrate womanhood and femininity; manhood and masculinity. To do so takes strength, I think.

So, where have all the good men gone? Where are all our heroes? I believe that they are still there. Our husbands, our brothers, our friends, our fathers. Most men deserve our respect and honor because they are heroes. My husband battles the world every day to provide for us all, so that I may stay home and raise our child. He holds on his shoulders the responsibility for our financial and physical welfare. He is my hero.

I believe there are many heroes out there. We just need to help them become the heroes that they potentially can become, and honor them for all the hard work they do, so often without acknowledgement. That’s my schpeel…what do you think?

My New Year's Resolution- Creating A Platform

By Christine Thackeray

This has been an incredible year for me. I had my first two books published and completed two more manuscripts that are currently under consideration. But in the last month I've also finally gotten back my sales numbers for those books and they were shockingly lower than I had hoped. Just because a book gets strong reviews does not mean it will sell like hotcakes. What I didn't realize is that the sales of a book are often decided before the book is even written.

There is a reason that so many celebrities are able to publish children's books and that Glenn Beck's book became a number one bestseller despite certain story flaws. These people already have a platform. In the publishing industry the word platform means a customer base or people that already know your name and WANT to hear what you have to say. Developing a platform is hard work and the truth is I STINK AT IT! But I'm trying to get better.

So that is my New Year's resolution- to increase my platform. There are a number of ways to do this. First I'm increasing the number of friends I have on facebook. If I don't have you- add me. Next I'm joining more yahoo groups that I'm interested in. If your interests or hobbies have groups you can join, that can be a treat venue. I've already gotten more traffic on my blog and website from reaching out more. Another area I'm going try is to submit articles to other LDS magazines and publications so that people recognize my name. Last, I'm going to look for speaking engagements and create opportunities there. I'd like to work on book club appearances and wonder how I can tap in there too.

With a little luck, I'll get my name out there better. What I wish I had known was that if I started sooner, then when that first book came out, it probably would have done MUCH better. If you are interested in writing, start now to increase your platform. It may not be as fun as simply writing, but it will drastically increase your opportunities to publish and certainly will increase your bottomline when you do.

Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Moving On

by Kristine John

It's odd to think that in just a mere 48 hours, I will be in a new state, in a new temporary home, waiting to close on our permanent new home within the month.
My kids will be attending new schools.
My husband will have started a new job, with longer hours (but he has a job!), and a very long commute.

We have gone and done as we have felt prompted to do.
Our lives will be considerably different at this time next week, and yet some things will remain the same.

We will have a ward family to learn to love...but the gospel teachings will be the same.
We will change our mode of communication with many that we love here...but the friendships will remain.

Our adventure is well underway, and taking a turn.
I'm excited to see what lies ahead.

Happy New Year!

by Kari Pike

Happy New Year!
New and exciting things are going to happen and I can't wait to see what they are. Right now I am tucked snugly in the corner of the couch in our son's home in Spanish Fork, Utah. My children children, ages 29-11, are scattered about reading, conversing, playing board games and entertaining my grandchildren. My heart is full of joy and gratitude and I feel a peace that I have not felt for several months.

As many of you know, this past September my husband Doug took a job in Salt Lake City. We hoped that business would pick up in Arizona soon enough to allow him to return home to work so that we would not have to pull up roots and move from our home in Arizona. Due to the kindness and generosity of family members, Doug has a room to stay in and the ability to come home one weekend a month. In order to make the most of our time with him, we decided to spend the majority of the school break with Doug in Utah. Any funds available for Christmas gifts would be needed to pay for gas, and I felt sad that I could not provide the usual surprises and delights we enjoyed in the past. I had no idea we would be given a most precious gift.

What do you get when you have 22 people crammed into a two bedroom house? You either get chaos or...controlled chaos! With a little planning and lots of cooperation, we enjoyed controlled chaos. No one seemed to really miss all the gifts. They spent time playing and laughing and occasionally arguing...and more time reading and visiting and sharing meals. I spent one day house hunting and came away more discouraged than ever. Why?

The third day of our visit, I was in the kitchen with a daughter-in-law, a daughter, and several grandchildren. Thirteen-month-old Nathan toddled around his mother's legs, begging for bites of whatever Mom was putting in her mouth. Mom gave him a bite, and continued cleaning the kitchen. Nathan started to pitch a fit and the next thing I knew, I could see that he was choking. I yelled out in surprise, and his mom grabbed Nathan up and held him upside down and pounded on his back. I swept bits of food out of his mouth, but Nathan continued to choke, then stopped breathing altogether and started turning a horrible shade of gray and blue. His silence tore through my heart. Aprilynne took over and performed a technique she had learned. I prayed for what seemed like forever, but could only have been a few seconds. Just as I began to reach for a phone to call 911, Nathan heaved out bits of food and started coughing and sputtering and crying. I have never heard such a beautiful sound as his crying sounded to me at that time.

I am humbled as I recognize the abundance with which I have been blessed. I am grateful for family and friends and the legions of angels who watch after us and protect us. I am grateful for the blessings of the priesthood and a husband and sons who honor that priesthood and use it to bless others. I am grateful for the gospel, the good news that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God and our Savior and Redeemer. I am grateful for Joseph Smith and all of the other living prophets we have today. I know President Monson is our prophet today and that Heavenly Father continues to send direct revelation to guide us through these troubled times. I know that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and that we truly can come closer to God by reading its pages than those of any other book. I am a daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves me, and I love him with all my heart. I am grateful for his patience with me as I struggle to learn the lessons he sent me here to learn.

As I ponder on my goals for the New Year, I know that they will be much simpler this year. I have a better understanding of what is good, what is better, and what is best. It is a gift I will be opening day after day ...and I can't wait to see what happens!