A Cheerful Earful from the Meridian Mailbag
Edited and compiled by Kathy Green

Shock Values

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Ambushed at the Movies, by Kieth Merrill

I read Keith Merrill's article "Ambushed" with great interest. The last movie I truly felt ambushed in was Titanic. Since then I attend very few movies, preferring to watch the classics on the Dish or our own collection of tapes and DVDs. The thought I have about going to movies with trash is if we are indeed paying tithing to the adversary when we support them. The only feedback the studios understand is when we vote with our pocketbooks.

Frank V Malquist,
McKittrick, California

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I am very appreciative of Brother Merrill's articles on Hollywood and their "values." As someone who rarely, if ever, goes to the movies I am grateful to read that I have not missed anything. The last movie I went to was The Best Two Years in the theatre (a long time ago). If I'm curious about a movie I wait for it to appear on the website: http://www.themoviespoiler.com/ and read the entire film and then know not to see it (even as a rental).

Thank you again for saying what I've believed for years and putting into words my own reasons for not going to the movies for years and years.

Kurt Busselberg
Mesa, Arizona

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Thank you for all you do. It's a good feeling to know that you are there, doing what you can to make a difference and help things be better.

Vickie Gunther
Redlands, California

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Happiness is Happening

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Making a Mission Happen, by Laurie Williams Sowby

Thank you for these articles. I think it's great to hear about couples serving and the challenges and trials and blessings. More couples need to think about and plan for it to happen. What a great experience they are having. My husband and I are farmers in Idaho. We've always told our six kids that as soon as everyone had graduated from high school and was settled, we were going to go on a mission. So it's not news to them — it's reality. They're getting themselves prepared as well. We have about eight years and get more excited every day.

Laurie Foster
Rigby, Idaho

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Global Gospel

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Church Here, There, and Everywhere: Being LDS in China, by Belinda Wong, BYU Meridian Correspondent

This really strikes home with me. I was raised in a predominantly LDS community but had a Sunday school teacher who challenged the students to study other religions and philosophies to see if they could find anything better.

For fifteen months during World War II, I had the opportunity to associate with a number of other religions. Then while working where I was the only member in the community, I actually taught Sunday school in two other churches (strictly following their study course). In fact I had one minister agree I knew more of his church doctrine than he did. He was too busy preaching.

My wife and I were in Kinshasa, Zaire, for 16.5 months as missionaries where talks were translated some times in three languages of which we fully understood English and taught and partially understood French.

I have found nothing better. The Church is truly HIS.

Mylo W.Forsyth
Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

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Gold Standard

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May God Our Gold Refine, by H. Wallace Goddard

I loved this article. It was so eloquently spoken. I truly was inspired to share it with my nonmember family and friends. Thank you so much for publishing such inspired writings

Kathy Bartlett
Fayetteville Arkansas

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Righteous Dominion

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Why a Mormon can be President, by Maurine Proctor

This is an excellent article. I think it's something all of us as members of the Church need to read so we'll have some answers for our friends when questioned about Romney's beliefs. I loved it and will be forwarding it to many of my non-member friends.

I think this is really going to be a wonderful missionary opportunity for many of us. We need to be on our toes! I've never gotten involved in a campaign before, but this is one I think I need to volunteer for!

Thank you so much for writing the article.

Joyce Pierce
Houston, Texas

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Maybe there is something weird about me or maybe I was misinformed, but I have always been under the impression that religion and politics are supposed to be separate but integrally intertwined. Would that be a correct way of saying, we probably would not have this opportunity to express our opinions or worship our God, or run for political office if our countries founders had not prayed to and supplicated God to guide and direct them?

Yes, the two are separate, but I do not believe one would not be possible without the other. I further believe if Mr. Romney wants to run for president where the entire world will be looking at his religion, he’d best take much of the attitude of John F. Kennedy. After giving the media a clear look at his beliefs, integrity, morals, and yes even his love of the Savior, then advise them clearly it is not the LDS Church that is running for office.

Perhaps because of the Church he has the values and principles that would absolutely make him a candidate for the people of the United States. That it is exactly because of his upbringing in the Church that he has the honesty and love of service to want to put his life and values to the forefront.

In my mind, the secret to Milt Romney winning the presidency would be setting the example exactly as to what a true member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should display. By being true to the faith, true to this country, and true to his convictions, without fear to stand up, and stand for something, with honesty, and humility. To believe in and love the people of this country regardless of race, creed, etc., then why would Milt Romney not make a good or for that matter great candidate for president?

To take it a step further, we as members of this great church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, need to help his light shine, by letting our own light shine. By magnifying our callings as said members, and being the brightest light we can possibly be, perhaps we can be an example to the rest of the world that, "them Mormons aren't so bad as a whole."

Your article is certainly a fine article, and should be in the major papers across the United States as it could very easily clear up many things for those in doubt. I have always maintained we should not be hesitant in protecting our church, our religion, our people and our country. The only way to do that is with a good offense, as that helps create a great defense.

You at Meridian are in the position to be the media frontrunner in the nation, and I always enjoy reading your thoughts. I would greatly appreciate being able to see this protection, knowledge and offense in papers across the nation. It is time we no longer take a back seat to those that imply we are not Christian, but have a greater right to the description than any religion on earth. Thank you for allowing me to express just a portion of the thousands of thoughts that run through my mind with virtually no alignment.

Lloyd Lewis.
Montrose, Colorado

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Well done, Maurine. Excellent article. Much appreciated. Thanks.

Steven Orton
Burke, Virginia

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Thanks, Maurine. I thoroughly enjoyed your skilled way of analyzing and portraying the current situation concerning Mitt Romney's potential candidacy.

Markus Gappmaier
Bern, Switzerland

P.S.: We met in Atlanta at the SmartMarriages Conference

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Great article. Good job in summing up the news comments and the factors that will make for a Mormon as president.

Clark Brockbank
Fairfax, Virginia

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This article is very well done!

Pauline Holgate
Mesa, Arizona

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Santa’s Ana

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Ana’s Gift of Love to Santa, by John Degel

I was so touched and so moved to tears by this wonderful story. Thank you for sharing it! It really puts into perspective the true meaning of Christmas. That's the love and blessings of our family. Cherish each moment with our family and never forget to say, "I love you." The second is to serve others. We don't need to be rich to serve. Santa Claus is a wonderful example to all of us. Thank you for this wonderful, moving and powerful story!

Katie Bartow
Austin, Texas

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Just wanted you to know I really enjoyed John Degel’s story about Ana. Wow — still have tears in my eyes. Thanks for sharing such a very special event with us.

Merry Christmas

Stewart Lang
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

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Interlocking Pieces

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Mormon’s Map Puzzle Solved, by John P. Pratt

The publication of Garth Norman’s new Book of Mormon map is indeed a watershed event in the history of Book of Mormon Studies. John Pratt’s observation that “a new day in Book of Mormon geography may be dawning” is on point.

I played a small role in the 1985 publication of John Sorenson’s path-breaking “An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon.” For two decades, I have been trying to reconcile the many seeming incongruities in the Grijalva-Sidon correlation. I have been on numerous research expeditions throughout Mesoamerica, several with Garth Norman as my travelling companion.

During all those years, Garth patiently advocated the Usumacinta-Sidon correlation and I politely ignored him out of profound respect for John Sorenson’s prodigious scholarship. In September, 2006, Garth and I were in the National Anthropology Museum in Mexico City when it suddenly became clear to me that Garth has been right all along.

This new “Mormon/Norman” map is not only the finest Book of Mormon map currently available. It is also a deft solution to a number of geographical problems that have bedeviled researchers for years. Hopefully, it heralds a bright new era of Book of Mormon research in the New World.

Kirk Magleby
American Fork, Utah

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I’m from El Salvador and I’ve been in Guatemala too. So I always knew it or may be felt it and when I was a little girl in a General Conference in my country, one of the apostles said something like this: I feel so humble to be in this land where my Savior walked among the Lamanites.

Karla Rodriguez
Faribault, Minnesota

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I was thrilled to see John Pratt’s most recent article describing Garth Norman’s Book of Mormon Map and the difficult geographical “puzzle” that it solves. What strikes me as particularly exciting is how well Garth Norman’s candidate for the narrow neck of land or strip of wilderness ties into the fascinating work done by Rick Hauck as reported earlier in several articles by Meridian Magazine (“Geographical Clues in the Book of Mormon” and “Are There Archaeological Correlations to the Book of Mormon?”).

In my opinion, finding such unusual and detailed geographical matches between the text of the Book of Mormon and real world features in Mesoamerica constitutes solid evidence that we are dealing with an authentic ancient record involving real people and real places.

No scientific or archeological finding is likely to convince determined critics of the Book of Mormon that it is true — only the Spirit of God can do that — but the information presented in these articles can not help but soften the heart of any sincere seeker of truth and strengthen the faith of those who already have a testimony of its truthfulness.

I look forward to Meridian’s continued coverage of related developments in this important area of research.

Glenn Richardson
Roy, Utah

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Mary’s Baby

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In His Mother’s Arms, by Susan Law Corpany

I enjoyed the article "In His Mother's Arms" immensely. It brought back a lot of sweet memories for me. When my children were small, Baby Jesus disappeared from the nativity set and I couldn't find him until one day I found him under my 18-month-old daughter's pillow — wrapped in toilet paper. Kids! You gotta love em!

Sandy Nelsen
Arizona

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I love this story! I absolutely love it!

When I read what this article was going to be about, I expected lots of humor — which it has. I was not expecting the tears. Susan, you've done it again — you've touched my (our) heart.

Thank you for one of the most beautiful Christmas stories I've ever heard, and I mean that sincerely.

Bonnie Teerlink
Citrus Heights, California

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THANK YOU, Susan!

You never fail to make me laugh and cry at the same time. Your words of wisdom and your wonderful humor have lifted my spirit countless number of times. Thank you and thank you again!

Grace Chen
Bountiful, Utah

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I really enjoyed Susan's article about her manger scene. What a fun memory for her. I'm so glad she shared that with us. I went through the same thing with my own children and my ceramic nativity set. But as a smart Grandma I bought the Fisher Price nativity set for my grandchildren and they love it. I put it out the first of December and it's the first toy they go for when they come to Grandma's house. On Christmas Eve when we read the story of the nativity we use this one to demonstrate. This is a great way to learn about Baby Jesus.

Valerie Sorensen
Riverton, Utah

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Loneliness Defined

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What Loneliness Feels Like, by Susan Law Corpany

I just read the article, "What Loneliness Feels Like," and had to write to say thank you for it. I have been having a very difficult week and feeling extremely lonely, so I was drawn to the article. However, in the middle of reading it, I called a lady I knew whose husband recently passed away and invited her to lunch. I realized that if I am lonely, the best thing I can do is call people who are lonelier or feeling sad for any reason. I have spent the entire week focusing on my own pain. The article was the encouragement I needed to get out and focus on others. Already I feel things are looking up!

Emily Woodhouse,
Mesa, Arizona

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Susan's article on loneliness hits the mark and shows her great ability to put into words the emotion of loneliness sharply defined.

Susan's gift of writing gives those of us who are lonely valuable insight into what we are truly experiencing. Some tell me I am not lonely, as they say I have many friends; and yet I am still lonely.

Every day is a struggle to be cheerful, and yet it feels like I am still very lonely. Being lonely is the worst of times and it stays seemingly forever. Thanks to Susan for her ability to understand the outside and the inside of us who are lonely even in a crowd.

Don Lindley
Manhattan, Kansas

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In Remembrance

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Taking Christ Out of Christmas, by Maurine Proctor

The one thing that is truly bothering me is while everyone is upset about this — Christ is almost gone out of the celebration. There are snowmen, Santa Claus, Rudolph, candy canes, and everything else, but In Palmyra, New York there is one small nativity on someone's front lawn on Main Street. In all the advertising there are no nativity ornaments of any kind for sale in any of the stores. I did find one little musical nativity scene at Walgreen’s but it wasn't advertised in the papers. No one has mentioned this aspect of missing Christ's birth in displays — even at private homes.

Bev Williams
Palmyra, New York

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Judging a Book

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Cherished Books for Christmas, by Holly E. Newton

Thank you so much for the Christmas books review. My family was looking for some additional Christmastime reading, and you have helped us with that. Thank you!

Mike Morrissey
Pocatello, Idaho

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Faith in First Principles

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First Principles of Marriage, by H. Wallace Goddard

I wanted to thank you for posting these articles. For me, they are hands down the very best material on marriage I have ever read. Goddard clearly identifies the core challenges of marriage, and boldly offers the true cures, wonderfully focused on Christ. This stuff hit me where I live!

In the Church I think we gloss over marital challenge sometimes, leaving those of us with less than perfect marriages to wonder if we've missed out somehow. I applaud Brother Goddard for his honesty and wisdom. In my 17 years of marriage I've been guilty of almost every line of faulty thinking addressed in this series. Brother Goddard has given me a reality check and renewed perspective.

Karen
Bayfield, Colorado

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Sensing Danger

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A Dangerous Woman, by Kimberli Pelo Robison

WOW! What a wonderful perspective on motherhood. It brought me to tears! Thanks to the author — she is truly inspired.

Alana DeGooyer
Kirksville, Missouri

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I loved this article! She hit it right on the head. It gives me hope that I can be "dangerous," too. I can't wait to read more by this author. Thank you for making my day.

Deanne Crockett.
Highland, Utah

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This is a beautiful article. I'm so glad Kimberli Pelo Robinson wrote it. I'm going to share it with my daughters. I'm even considering giving it as a sacrament talk, with proper recognition to the author of course.

Jonii Bothell
Dover, Delaware

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I loved this article. Excellent! It is especially when children are grown that parents see how valuable was the time spent nurturing, sacrificing, wiping noses, and so on.

I was an inexperienced mother 32 or so years ago when my first daughter was born. Still, that daughter grew up to be a wonderful mother who constantly amazes me with her devotion and creativity in parenting. She and her good husband have four children who are enjoying an "ideal" childhood.

If, when young mothers are struggling along with childhood illnesses, childhood tantrums, and other situations, they could look ahead and see how quickly these little ones will be adults with their own little ones — they will see time spent tending our children is the effort that yields the richest payoff. I have lots of fun and satisfaction enjoying the best grandchildren in the world — all because of the years I spent washing the same dishes over and over and over; wiping the same noses over and over and over; cleaning the same house over and over and over (which was never clean when people stopped by ANYWAY!!).

When they were teenagers and complicated and challenging, I got so discouraged. If I had known then what I know now, I would have been so content within the struggle.

So, young mothers, be wiser than I was, and have fun, enjoy your little ones. They are a gift that will open for you again and again. I promise.

Leah Thornley
Sumner, Washington

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Thanks for the great article. It wasn't at all what I expected as I read it. But it was exactly what I needed to lift my soul and appreciated my calling as mother.

Jennifer Rushton
Evant, Texas

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Every Member a Missionary

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The First Vision and Religious Tolerance, by Joseph Fielding McConkie

This is one of the most enlightening essays I have read in some time. When I joined the Church in 1955, as a young man of 23 years old, I proceeded to tell people about the only true and living church on the earth. Being naive and inexperienced, I found myself in trouble on many occasions. I lost my friends and some people were openly hostile to me for my newly found beliefs.

Throughout the years I have managed to fumble and stumble along with the Lord constantly picking me up when I fell, to the point now when I am in my twilight years and have a number of friends both in the Church and outside the Church who know how I stand.

Any time I get the chance to talk to someone about the gospel my approach is to declare that this is the only church that is recognized by the Saviour. Because of my age they are somewhat more tolerable, perhaps thinking that these are the ravings of a senile old man, but I work hard to retain my testimony and find I can do so by proclaiming the gospel at every opportunity I get, which is not too often.

Perhaps I have to pray for opportunities on a more regular basis. I love to have the Jehovah's Witnesses come to the door as we can do some great discussing. However, I have not yet been able to give one of them a copy of the Book of Mormon, but one day maybe.

Donald H. Young
Calgary Alberta Canada

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Repair Service

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Fix One Another as I Have Fixed You, by H Wallace Goddard

That has to be the best article I've read on that topic anywhere! Great job! I'm going to print off this article and keep it in my scriptures so that I can read it every Sunday when I have a quiet moment or two.

Dawn Ackroyd
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

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Chill Thrills

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Chilly, by Vickey Pahnke-Taylor

100% wonderful. So true in every way. Thanks again for a super message at a special time of the year.

Linda Thompson
Deep Run, North Carolina

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Slow Emotion

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Slow Down and Appreciate Christmas, by Darla Isackson

Thank you, Darla, for this wonderful article! It's "just what the doctor ordered" — only that physician being the ultimate Healer, Jesus Christ. I appreciated all the ideas, as I have been working hard this year to eliminate all stress, and so far it's working. One thing I have always given up, as I hurry to get everything accomplished, is exercise. This year — not so! I got diagnosed with fibromyalgia. (I had already figured it out on my own) and exercise is totally essential to surviving it. Knowing just where I was at for sure has helped me keep my priorities right.

So, my top priorities take up my whole morning and that's just the way it is. I shower first and do my hair and get ready for the day. I do yoga for aches and pains M,W,F. And ride my exercise bike at least M-F or M-Sat if possible, for 30 minutes or more (and manage to read at the same time so it's wonderful double tasking).

But my biggest priority is my scripture study time, which I love, and could do for a long time, but on busy days I look at the clock and tell myself I have to quit by a certain time, but usually allow myself at least an hour and a half. This is what is keeping me calm and reflective and evenly paced.

I've done much of my shopping online and avoided the stores. I have been trying to make sure that some of the gifts are spiritual, or something that is useful and needed.

But I had not thought of many of the things that you put perspective on in your article, such as the fact that it is the hurrying that totally drives the spirit away. That makes so much sense (as I can see how it has affected me in the past). Just knowing that will help me to be more aware of that and avoid it like the plague!

You gave lots of great ideas that I really appreciated and hadn't thought of. I think we've all known that it is time to change Christmas back to what it is truly supposed to be, and I am very happy to know that we can all work at making these changes together as we share ideas. So, I will pass these on to my friends.

May you be blessed in your peaceful season of Christmas!!

Peggy Bidwell
Camas Valley, Oregon.