Posts

Walk with Me (Jan 31, 2026)

-
Image
  On day 1 of 3 snow days this week here in the Midwest, my 12-year-old went sledding on the neighborhood hill with one of his best friends. Just as I was starting to get worried about how long he’d been outside in the freezing temps, he returned at sunset, CHILLED to the bone. He hopped in the shower to warm up. His friend’s mom then texted me, asking if her son was at our house. I felt a sudden alarm go through me. He was not at our house. Was he still outside? It was WAY too cold and dark to still be outside. I asked my son through the bathroom door if he knew where his friend was because he didn’t make it home, just a couple houses down. My son replied in surprise, “No, he was with me! We walked home together!“ And that kid jumped right out of the shower, pulled on some clothes, and RAN out the front door. I shouted, “Where are you going?!” He yelled back, “I gotta find him!” He raced down the sidewalk before I had the chance to even tell him I could drive him or even to put on...
Post a Comment
Read more

To Please the Eye and Gladden the Heart (Jan 23, 2026)

-
Image
  “Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart” (D&C 59:18) I love that God’s creations are not just for our “use,” but our enjoyment, “to please the eye and to gladden the heart.” No wonder when I look around at this beautiful world, the sky, the grass, the flowers, I feel a connection with heaven. No wonder trees have always spoken to me, because “out of the ground made I, the Lord God, to grow every tree, naturally⁠, that is pleasant to the sight of man; and man could behold it. And it became also a living soul. For it was spiritual in the day that I created it” (Moses 3:9) All creations are living souls. Temporal and spiritual. It’s all evidence of God’s love for us. And when I think about how it was all created for US, I think, maybe I shouldn’t be looking at my phone so much. 🫣 What am I doing with my time here on earth? Am I fulfilling the measure of MY creat...
Post a Comment
Read more

I Can Judge Between Thee and God (Jan 23, 2026)

-
Image
  “I can judge between thee and God” (Moses 1:15) I love how Moses responds to Satan after his encounter with God. Like, I’m sorry, who are you? Where’s YOUR glory? One of these things is not like the other… I can judge between thee and God. I will not be deceived! The contrast is there. This is why I have a testimony of Christ. Why I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Because it points me to Him again and again, and I feel light and peace in this space. Satan can be very tricky and mix truth with deceit. He knows exactly how to get to us. How to attack our divine worth. How to make us second guess our spiritual experiences. But for me, the contrast is there. And as long as we live on this earth we will have both dark and light experiences as Satan tries to trip us up along the way. But I will cling to the light and strive to live my life to always tell the difference. Yes, I have questions. Sure, people aren’t perfect. Answers aren’t always crystal cle...
Post a Comment
Read more

My Work and My Glory (Jan 23, 2026)

-
Image
  “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39) WE are God’s work and His glory. Us! And while I know in this context God’s “work” means His “purpose” or “achievement,” I can’t help but also think of it in terms of His “labor” or “struggle” as well 😅 I’m sure it is “work” to watch over all His children, allow them to make mistakes, and try to teach them how to become much greater than they were when they got here. But sometimes our greatest glory does come from our greatest efforts! I know as a parent I certainly feel my kids are my “work.” SO MUCH WORK! We all know taking care of young kids ain’t easy, but then suddenly you’ve got these teenagers who BLOW YOUR MIND with their brilliance one minute and surprise you with their stupidity the next 😆 (I’m sure God can relate) And yet, YES, THIS IS MY GLORY, too! 100%!! Helping them, teaching them, LOVING THEM, being a witness to these beautiful souls becoming who the...
Post a Comment
Read more

12 Days of Moments with Christ Day 12 (Jan 5, 2026)

-
Image
  12 Days of Moments with Christ Day 12 One day after not handling a frustrating situation with my child very well, like, AT ALL, I went angrily to my room where I glimpsed the framed picture of Jesus on my dresser. In the painting, called “Abide with Me” by Simon Dewey, He has his arms outstretched with the nail marks in His hands clearly visible. It’s meant to show Christ’s welcoming and warm demeanor, and it does, but in that moment I had to laugh because it seemed like He was looking right at me with his arms thrown out like, “Really, Erika? What was that! THAT’S how you handled it? THOSE are the words you said? Come on, now! That’s not the way!” To which I looked at that picture and said humbly, “I know, I know! That was not my best! I’m sorry!” I knew I had to fix things. Now every time I see that picture, I see it in two ways, the warm and inviting way, and also the lovingly disappointed in me kinda way 😆 But in all seriousness, it reminds me just how merciful my Savior is....
Post a Comment
Read more

12 Days of Moments with Christ Day 11 (Jan 5, 2026)

-
Image
  12 Days of Moments with Christ Day 11 I know Christ is there for me in the good. I know He’s there for me in the bad. He is also there for me, I realized, in the waiting. Waiting for news, waiting for answers, waiting for healing, waiting for understanding, waiting for direction, waiting for results, waiting… waiting… waiting… Sometimes waiting is annoying. Sometimes it’s excruciating. Sometimes it feels like you’ve just jumped off a high dive, flying through the air, knowing impact is coming, not sure if it’ll land right or hurt. Sometimes it feels like being stuck on the side of the freeway while everyone else is moving forward. Sometimes it feels like a juggle between hope and despair. Will it end? Will relief come? But like, when? And how? It can feel like loneliness. Abandonment. But. I am not alone. Cause in the waiting, He waits for me. To come to Him. He has His own ways. Sometimes they’re not my ways. But He has a plan and I can trust in that plan. And you know what? As ...
Post a Comment
Read more

12 Days of Moments with Christ Day 10 (Dec 24, 2025)

-
Image
  12 Days of Moments with Christ Day 10 My husband’s brother, his best friend, passed away from cancer a few years ago. We came home from the hospital that day emotionally and physically exhausted. Our brains couldn’t wrap around reality and our hearts were broken. We had barely any food in the house and I desperately needed to go shopping. Two friends of mine came by with pizza, which was so amazing. Then as evening approached, when I was literally gearing myself up to go to the store so we would have something to eat, another friend came by WITH GROCERIES, “just to get you by the next couple days.” We cried, because we knew with that inspired Christ-like action that God was watching out for us. I will never forget what those friends did that day, and many others afterwards who showed us their compassion in many ways. Right after John the Baptist was brutally killed, Christ, surely mourning the loss of his cousin, compassionately reached out to others in need. Around 5000, to be e...
Post a Comment
Read more