It feels weird to be writing this column and not talking about visiting teaching. That was a stimulating topic — so stimulating that I don't want to open another can of worms without resting a little bit first.

Fortunately, we have a letter this week that should only occupy our minds for two weeks — this week for you to read today's column and write in, and next week for us to post your answers.

This is hardly a life-or-death issue, but it's one that I'm sure has caused just a tinge of guilt for many of us who subscribe to church magazines. I'll let Pene Horton of British Columbia present the problem in her own words:

This is off the visiting teaching topic, but I wondered if you could ask what people do with their old Ensigns? Members I've spoken with say they hate to throw them out. It would be wonderful to have some ideas of how to use these lovely magazines instead of throwing them away.

Pene Horton
Sidney Ward, British Columbia, Canada

Okay — this may not be a nail-biting issue, but I know I let church magazines stack up for years because I'd feel too guilty just throwing them in the garbage. I feel as though I'm throwing away used scriptures! But I certainly don't need to keep them (the Ensigns — not my used scriptures), now that they're online at lds.org.

If I'm feeling guilty, I imagine a lot of you are just as uneasy as I am. What do you do with old Ensigns, Liahonas, New Eras or Friends? Do you burn them like flags? Do you bury them in an old shoebox in the backyard, next to the deceased family turtle? Do you set them adrift in a flaming burial boat like the Vikings used to do? Or have you found something productive to do with them — something you'd like to share with the rest of us?

Enquiring minds want to know what you're doing with your old church magazines. If you'd like to write in and tell us, send your thoughts to meridianmagazine@aol.com. Put something in the subject line that will let me know your letter isn't spam. And when you write, be sure to include your full name, city and state or province. (If you'd rather be semi-anonymous, sign your name as “A Reader from Michigan,” or “Sandy from Timbuktu.” The important thing is that we hear from you.)

Until next week — Kathy

“The more things a man is ashamed of, the more respectable he is.”

George Bernard Shaw