Learning to Swim
Reclaiming a (Mormon) Childhood
I took this photo from the car window when I was driving to my mother's funeral. It's taken somewhere west of Nephi, Utah. The morning was pristine white, due to the previous night's blizzard. The day was frigid, strange and remarkable.
"I'd like to hear sometime what that was like" is a comment I often hear. What it was like growing up Mormon in a small Utah town, they mean. What it was like growing up as a girl in a Mormon town. What it was like to leave.
For a long time my method was to try to out distance it, so I could try to pretend like it didn't exist, or that it would eventually fade, or that I could control the narrative. It didn't fade, though. It came back stronger than ever, and in the most unexpected places. Now, I am finally ready to tell some stories. These are the ideas so far, and I will add to the text over time.
The girl with the most cake
On experiencing love in unexpected places. How old ladies can save you. And why I still love cake.
The Danes are back
My mother told me that when I was born, she took one look at my face and said: “The Danes are back.”
I don't know what she meant, exactly. But I know what it means to me.
Learning to swim
How do you reclaim something that you lost a long time ago? Or, rather, something that was taken away from you, perhaps by accident? You can learn to swim.
I am here
Some stay, some go. The ones who go might be forgotten or replaced, and the ones who stay might be written out of the new history, especially if their circumstances don't suit the narrative. This is the story of a mother whose daughter went to America.
The coffee of Sanpete County
What if you had to choose between coffee and eternal salvation? What if coffee was the magical elixir that bound your present to your past, turned the mere water into thicker blood? What would you choose then? And what happens to those who try to choose both?
Ghosts
I don't know yet what this one will be about, but I do like this picture. I especially like that if you look really close, you will see my dog pooping in the lower right hand corner.