ISSUE 6 APRIL 2012
In the four years since our wedding, we have endeavored, in our own imperfect way, to build a marriage just like this.
SUSAN & DUSTIN CELEBRATE FOUR YEARS OF MARRIAGE (& THEIR FIRST OFFICIAL ANNIVERSARY)
ISSUE 6 APRIL 2012
table of contents 5
12
OPENING THOUGHTS
2
A first and fourth anniversary
3
October 2011–March 2012
5
Tweeting general conference, round 2
By Susan | After four years of marriage, we have learned that what we have in common—which is a lot—is not nearly so important as the love we share.
By Dustin | The 182nd Annual General Conference, 140 characters at a time. FOCUS ON FIONA
By Fiona | Fiona, with passport in hand, takes her first trip abroad. FIONA UPDATE
14 A portrait of the artist as a little baby
By Susan | Fiona talks a lot, tries on clothes, and is given to melodrama. So she’s basically a teenager in a toddler’s body. OUR TIMES
16 The color of money
America is redesigning its paper currency. Here’s what it looks like today. OUR VIEW
18 Of course D.C. deserves voting representation 24
Our family Susan Jane Hibdon Joyce Dustin Tyler Joyce Fiona Claire Joyce
HERE & THERE
12 Fiona goes to Iceland
18
COLOPHON
Susan and Dustin on why—and how—voting representation for D.C. should be achieved. WE BELIEVE IN CHRIST
On the cover Front: We included this quote in our wedding invitations. It is from Elder Hanks’s article “More Than We Imagine” in The New Era, June 1971 Back: Photo taken 1 April 2010, John F. Kennedy Plaza, Philadelphia. Sans serif text is set in Hypatia Sans Pro. Serif text is set in Adobe Text Pro. The motif color used in this issue is C=0, M=20, Y=100, K=0 This issue was designed on a Dell Inspiron ONE2305 desktop, with 4 GB of RAM, a 1 TB hard drive, and an AMD Athlon II X2 240e processor with a speed of 2.8 GHz. The software used includes InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator in Adobe Creative Suite 5.5, as well as Microsoft Word 2010. The operating system was Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. Dialann—Irish for “journal”—is published quarterly at New York, in January, April, July, and October. dialann@seoighe.net youtube.com/DialannTV
By Dustin | The door to repentance and progression is never closed.
Published by Seoighe 646.397.0403 New York 202.643.0403 Washington, D.C. seoighe.net
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Printed by Blurb | blurb.com
21 The time is always right for repentance
24 I NY—but Susan & I make better pizza By Dustin | New York is a great town—but our family makes better pizza.
Did you know? The St. Louis Missouri Temple, the Church’s 50th, was dedicated on 1 June 1997, more than 167 years after the organization of the Church. The Boston Massachusetts Temple, the 100th, was dedicated just over three years later. SEE PAGE 3
OPENING THOUGHTS By SUSAN
After four years of marriage, we have learned that what we have in common— which is a lot—is not nearly so important as the love we share.
APRIL 2012
A first and fourth anniversary
T
his year being leap year, Dustin and I celebrated our fourth—that is, our first— anniversary. Part of our celebration was our family trip to Iceland, but as I’ve been planning for the last four years, we also had a little anniversary shindig at our house. A reprise, if you will. We invited some friends, mostly people from our ward, over to celebrate with us. We ordered some food from Whole Foods, which is where we got a lot of the food for our original reception. Since the quesadillas were so good the first time, we decided to spring for them again, and we were not disappointed. The repeat reception included a cake which I made myself. I have also been planning, for the last four years, to learn how to make and decorate delicious and beautiful cakes. I never got around to that, but the cake tasted pretty good, and it looked okay, too. I probably could have done a better job had our anniversary not fallen on a Wednesday, which left me very little time after school to do it right. (We considered having the shindig on a Friday or a Saturday, but it seemed silly to wait four years for our actual anniversary to roll around, only to have a party on a day that is not our actual anniversary.) I’ve been thinking about how Dustin and I ended up together. Not too long after we got married, we realized that we had far more in common than we had recognized before. We both have the same thoughts on recycling and avoiding excess packaging materials. We both think it’s kind of cozy to go to bed while someone else is still up, reading in the living room, or to wake up and lie in bed while it rains. We both really like trains! That should have been obvious, but it wasn’t until after we got married that we discovered that we had both dreamed of taking an overnight train. I had always thought that I was just sort of an old-fashioned weirdo for wanting to ride trains around, so I kept it to myself. Another strange thing we have in common—
Susan decorates our anniversary cake.
one we were just discussing this morning—is that we have both wondered about colors. When I was little, I thought there might be other colors on other planets, colors that we don’t know about yet. Now I know that there probably aren’t. But Dustin and I have both wondered whether everyone actually perceives colors the same way. We all call that “red,” but maybe my brain registers that color as the color that you think is green. There’s no way to know! These are the kinds of bizarre conundrums that Dustin and I think about. It’s interesting that we didn’t realize these things before we got married. After all, people usually want to know that they have something in common with the person they’re marrying before the ceremony. Well, we already knew we had some things in common. We just didn’t realize how much, or how detailed and miniscule some of our commonalities are. But, really, the important point here is that we didn’t get married just because we had things in common; we got married because we loved each other and wanted to be together forever. It’s love and commitment, not similarities, that make or break a marriage. So far, so good. d
October 2011–March 2012
HERE & THERE
The odds of matching all 5 winning numbers and the Mega Ball to win the jackpot
Three winners share largest lottery jackpot in U.S. and world history. No, we weren’t one of them 30 MARCH 2012
The winning numbers 2, 4, 23, 38, and 46, with a Mega Ball of 23, were drawn for the $640 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot, the largest in U.S. and world history. Winning tickets were sold in Illinois, Kansas, and Maryland. The odds of winning were 1 in 176 million, yet hopeful lottery players spent a collective $1,491,082,267.00 on tickets since the last big winner in January 2012. Let’s talk about those odds— 1:176,000,000—for a moment. According to the 2010 Census, there are 116,716,292 households in the United States. Here’s what that means. Let’s say you live in a foreign country—any foreign country will do, but for our purposes we’ll use Mozambique, because it’s the second one that came out of Susan’s mouth when I asked her to name a foreign country (the first one she said was Burma, which I didn’t really want to use here). You meet a family from the United States, but you forget to get their address before they return home. You don’t even know what state or city they live in. But you decide you would like to visit them. So you fly to a random city in the United States, go to a random house, and knock. The odds are higher that a member of that family will answer the door than were your odds of winning this lottery. For the record, we didn’t buy a ticket. DUSTIN’S LATEST FAVORITE SINGER
Adele cleans up at the Grammys 12 FEBRUARY 2012
Adele tied Beyonce’s record for most wins in a single night at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, winning record of the year, song of the year, and best short form music video for “Rolling in the Deep,” album of the year and best pop vocal album for 21, and best pop solo performance for “Someone Like You.” We can’t disagree. ADELE: PHOTO TAKEN 19 JANUARY 2009 BY CHRISTOPHER MACSURAK, CC BY 2.0 COMMONS.W IKIMEDIA.ORG/WIKI/FILE:ADELE_-_LIVE_2009_(4).JPG
A CHURCH FOR ALL THE WORLD
By the numbers
AS OF 31 DECEMBER 2011
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued the following statistical report at the 182nd Annual General Conference in April 2012. (For more on April’s general conference, see page 5.) Church units Stakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,946 Missions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340 Districts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .608 Wards and branches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28,784 Church membership Total membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,441,346 New children of record during 2011 . . . . . . 119,917 Converts baptized during 2011 . . . . . . . . . 281,312
Temples update AS OF 30 APRIL 2012
Operating 136 Under construction 15 Announced 15 Announced Suprisingly (or perhaps not so surprisingly, since the rate of temple construction was exceeding the rate of Church growth), no new temples were announced during April’s general conference.
Missionaries Full-time missionaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55,410 Church-service missionaries . . . . . . . . . . . 22,299
Ground broken
Temples Temples dedicated during 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 San Salvador El Salvador Quetzaltenango Guatemala Temples rededicated during 2011 . . . . . . . . . . .1 Atlanta Georgia Temples in operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Dedicated
QUETZALTENANGO GUATEMALA TEMPLE: THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
Fortaleza Brazil 15 NOVEMBER 2011
Quetzaltenango Guatemala (photo ) 11 DECEMBER 2011
APRIL 2012
QUOTABLE
Plan of the City of New York Engraved by W. Hooker, 1832
PEARL STREET HOUSE, NEW YORK 13 OCTOBER 1832
My dear wife, This day I have been walking through the most splendid part of the City of New York. The buildings are truly great and wonderful, to the astonishing of every beholder. And the language of my heart is like this: can the great God of all the earth, maker of all things magnificent and splendid, be displeased with man for all these great inventions sought out by them? My answer is no, it cannot be … . THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH LETTER TO HIS WIFE, EMMA APRIL 2012 QUOTE: COMMUNITY OF CHRIST LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES, INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI, VIA THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS, JOSEPHSMITH.NET; CAPITALIZATION, SPELLING, AND PUNCTUATION EDITED
MAP OF NEW YORK CITY, 1832: NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY DIGITAL GALLERY, DIGITALGALLERY.NYPL.ORG
Tweeting general conference, round 2
T
he twice-a-year general conferences of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are perhaps the most remarkable meetings that take place anywhere in the world. I know of no other religious organization—or organization of any sort for that matter—that comes together for such a communal spiritual experience focused on the divine. Perhaps the only event that comes close is the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, which is in a sense a communal experience for all of humanity. But that happens only every other year. And the focus—the athletic and artistic achievements of humankind—is altogether different, not to mention increasingly overrun by commercialization. Indeed, for Mormons general conference is on an entirely different plane. We believe that we receive inspired instruction from literal prophets of God, apostles of Jesus Christ, who have been called by Him to guide His Church today. Because so few other religious groups believe that God calls prophets and apostles today, very few other religious people can claim to receive this level of rich spiritual nourishment given in real time, specifically for us today. While Latter-day Saints look frequently—in fact, we are encouraged to look daily—to ancient scripture in the Bible and the Book of Mormon for heavenly counsel, we are united in our belief that if any people at any time in history needed contemporary revelation relevant to modern needs, we do today. Yet while general conference is a communal experience for all members of Jesus Christ’s Church to share together, it is also a deeply personal, individual experience. I would be willing to say that most members of the Church who take an active role in listening to each session of general conference look for—and find—the one or two talks that seem specifically written for them. General conference strengthens Latter-day Saints as a people, and it strengthens each Latter-day Saint as a person. To gain and record those spiritual insights, many members of the Church take notes during general conference. At various times over the years I, too, have taken notes, with mixed results. SPIRE OF CONFERENCE CENTER THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
But during the last two general conferences my notes have taken a different form, a form that permits the world to see them and in so doing melds the individual and the communal aspects of general conference. I have sent them as tweets, short (tweets are limited to 140 characters, including spaces) messages posted to the socialmedia website Twitter. By appending the hashtag #ldsconf, my tweets join literally hundreds of thousands of other tweets that weave a tapestry of individual and communal experiences with general conference. Using the Twitter handle @LDSWeekly, during the April 2012 general conference I sent 280 individual tweets, not including retweets (reposting others’ tweets to my own Twitter feed)—41 during the Saturday morning session, 47 Saturday afternoon, 79 during the priesthood session (quite a feat, since I was using a handheld smartphone), 51 Sunday morning, and 62 Sunday afternoon. That’s nearly a 70% increase over the 166 tweets (including three retweets) I sent last October, the first time I joined the self-described Twitter Stake in tweeting general conference. Like many of my fellow tweeters, I tweeted quotes that I thought were significant, providing a broad summary of the conference’s proceedings, as well as my own reflections, thoughts, and bits of testimony. But, as I did last October, I tried to distinguish my posts from the torrent of #ldsconf tweets by providing references for the scriptures cited and hymns sung. This time around I enhanced that effort by providing links directly to each scripture and hymn at lds.org. The approximately 30,000 characters in those tweets, including the URLs linking to the scriptures and hymns, would take up nearly ten pages in this magazine. So in speaking with my coeditor, Susan, we decided to produce a briefer summary of general conference, using the tweets I sent. This is our report of the 182nd Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Oh, and one last benefit of tweeting during general conference that I have noticed: it helps me stay awake during the afternoon sessions. I always used to fall asleep during the second session each day, no matter how hard I tried.
By DUSTIN
31 March–1 April 2012 Once again I joined the Twitter Stake in sharing my experience with and impressions of general conference.
5
Saturday morning session The Mormon Tabernacle Choir opened general conference with one of my favorite hymns, “High on the Mountaintop” (Hymns, 1985 edition, #5). President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, conducted the session (though in my tweet I accidentally said he was “presiding”—the president of the Church, Thomas S. Monson, was of course presiding). As is customary, President Monson was the first speaker. We have become accustomed in recent years to the president of the Church making big announcements in opening general conference, particularly a list of new temples to be built. But this time around,
10.00 MDT 31 MARCH 2012
Three ways to become more converted: 1. deepen our understanding of deity #ldsconf 2. focus on the ordinances and covenants; if you are lacking any essential ordinances, prepare to receive them #ldsconf 3. unite the gospel with the church #ldsconf I wish I could say I’ve never been in a boring sacrament meeting, but ... 2 Nephi 9:34 http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2ne/9.34?lang=eng#33 #ldsconf The Lord wants the members of his Church to be fully converted to his gospel #ldsconf
No temple or other big announcements #ldsconf Boyd K. Packer, the president of the Quorum of the Twelve, was the next speaker. He spoke of the importance of having two parents in a home, to which I replied, Children deserve two parents; no other pattern will do -- I can testify that this is true #ldsconf
LATTER-DAY ATTER-DAY ATT AT TTER TT T TER DA T AY Y SAINT Thhee LA
The logo of The Latterday Saint Weekly, an online newspaper Dustin created using the @LDSWeekly Twitter feed.
Another tweeter, Lincoln Cannon (@lincolncannon), posted, “Boyd Packer says ‘neither man nor woman can bear children alone’, but that’s probably not true,” followed by a link to a Wikipedia article about parthenogenesis. Perhaps @lincolncannon’s statement was facetious, but if not, I think it showed a lack of understanding of the depth of what President Packer was actually saying. So I replied, @LincolnCannon President Packer was not necessarily talking only about the biology of it #ldsconf
For names and photos of the current members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, see Dialann 5.30. 6
After the choir sang “I Am a Child of God” (#301), Elder Donald L. Hallstrom of the Presidency of the Seventy offered an excellent talk on how to become more converted to the gospel. Here is my tweeted summary of his talk: The “Church” and the “gospel” are sometimes used interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing #ldsconf There is definitely a difference between having a testimony and being converted -- I saw that a lot on my mission #ldsconf
After the choir and congregation sang “How Firm a Foundation” (#85), Elder Paul E. Koelliker of the Seventy spoke and cited “A new commandment ... That ye love one another; as I have loved you, ... love one another.” http://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/ john/13.34?lang=eng# John 13:34 #ldsconf
I love that verse. During the talk given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve I asked my fellow #ldsconf tweeters, What sacrifices for the gospel of Jesus Christ have you made, #TwitterStake? #ldsconf As the choir sang “Love Is Spoken Here” (Children’s Songbook, page 190), I commented, Since they frequently show the same members of the Tabernacle Choir in closeups, it’s interesting to see them age over the years #ldsconf I also retweeted a post from McKay Coppins (@mckaycoppins), who happens to be in our branch: Fun #ldsconf fact: Elder Oaks, apostle who just finished speaking, was on Ronald Reagan’s shortlist for Supreme Court nominees. President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, was the concluding speaker, and the session closed with the choir singing “Redeemer of Israel” (#6), another of my favorite hymns. I have a fond memory of singing it with thousands of fellow missionaries during a devotional at the Missionary Training Center over a decade ago.
Saturday afternoon session The session began with President Uchtdorf presenting Church officers for sustaining. The Presiding Bishopric and the Relief Society General Presidency and Board were released. Gary E. Stephenson was sustained as Presiding Bishop and Linda Burton was called as Relief Society general president. One of the new general authorities called, Larry Echo Hawk, is currently serving in President Barack Obama’s administration as the head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. I retweeted a post from Cody B (@cbwxman) that
14.00 MDT 31 MARCH 2012
really enjoyed given by the late Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve during the last general conference of my mission. The choir, which was from the MTC, and the congregation then stood to sing “Called to Serve” (#249), which I tweeted was The obvious choice for the intermediate hymn #ldsconf Is the conductor’s nametag blue? #ldsconf Elder David S. Baxter of the Seventy spoke next to single parents:
Larry EchoHawk, new LDS general authority, will be leaving Obama administration #LDSConf http://j.mp/HxPXK0 http://j.mp/H4PwUa
Please never feel that you are in some secondtier, lower class of Church membership #ldsconf Single parents are equally eligible for the Lord’s blessings #ldsconf
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve then spoke. He is an excellent speaker and, as always, gave an excellent talk.
Members and leaders: is there something you can do to better support single-parent families, without passing judgment? #ldsconf
We are not diminished when someone else is added upon, we are not in a race against each other #ldsconf We are in a race against sin, and surely envy is one of the worst of those #ldsconf
We pray, too, for fathers who are single parents #ldsconf At the end of Elder Baxter’s remarks I noted, I was raised by a single mother; as a parent myself now, I still can’t imagine how she did it by herself #ldsconf
“Downing another quart of pickle juice”??? That’s an interesting way of putting it #ldsconf We spend too much time and mental and emotional capital holding on to the bad or annoying things that happened in the past #ldsconf It is not possible for us to sink lower than the infinite light of the Atonement of Jesus Christ shines #ldsconf
Elders Quentin L. Cook and Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve were the concluding speakers at the session. Elder Cook admonished Church members about judging others then cited another of my favorite verses: Let’s have the courage to refrain from judging others #ldsconf
There is nothing we do that cannot be undone, no sin we cannot overcome #ldsconf It is never too late, so long as the Master of the vineyard says there’s time #ldsconf Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve spoke next. His health has been deteriorating, and he spoke while seated. CTR TV (@ctr_tv) asked, “What’s the background noise in the background of #ElderHales talk?” I answered, @ctr_tv I was wondering that, too. I think it may be his oxygen. #ldsconf Elder Hales also cited “Encircled in the arms of his love” 2 Nephi 1:15 http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2ne/1.15?lang=eng#14 #ldsconf which is another of my favorite scriptures, particularly because it was the name of a talk I
I was raised by a single mother; as a parent myself now, I still can’t imagine how she did it by herself #ldsconf
“We preach, prophesy of Christ” 2 Nephi 25:26 http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2ne/25.26?lang=eng#25 #ldsconf
Elder Scott began by … thank[ing] his late wife for her support from the other side of the veil #ldsconf
Then he counseled how to receive revelation. When I’m seeking an answer, first I fast #ldsconf Then I pray to find and understand scriptures that will help me in my decision #ldsconf Be cautious with humor; loud, inappropriate laughter offends the Spirit; good humor assists the Spirit #ldsconf Exaggeration and loud speech can also impede revelation #ldsconf Good health habits, such as sufficient sleep and exercise, aid revelation #ldsconf
DUSTIN TWEETING AS @LDSWEEKLY 7
Priesthood session These tweets provide a nice, succinct summary of the priesthood session. And since I didn’t have access to a computer during the session, I didn’t provide links to the scriptures referenced and hymns sung. For these reasons, I decided to include all of the tweets I sent during this session.
And the priesthood session begins! #ldsconf President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor, First Presidency, is presiding #ldsconf Choir singing “Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me” (Hymns, #104) #ldsconf Music by a combined choir from the Salt Lake University stakes #ldsconf Choir singing “Firm as the Mountains Around Us” (Hymns, #255) #ldsconf Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve is the first speaker at this session #ldsconf #ldsconf I invite each of you to consider how you would respond to the following question, posed by President David O. McKay What single feature makes The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints distinct from other churches? #ldsconf President McKay’s answer: the priesthood -- there can be no true church without divine authority #ldsconf Nothing about the priesthood is self-centered; it is always used to bless other people #ldsconf The priesthood is inherently active, not passive #ldsconf President Kimball: one transgresses priesthood covenant by sinning and neglecting duties #ldsconf We can receive *authority* by laying on of hands, but we will have no *power* if we are unworthy #ldsconf Doctrine and Covenants 121:37 #ldsconf For a man or boy to receive priesthood authority but do nothing to receive its power is unacceptable to the Lord #ldsconf Elder Bednar relating story about what he learned about priesthood authority from his nonmember father #ldsconf If our Church truly has priesthood of God, then why are men in our Church as unwilling to do their duty as those of other churches? #ldsconf In short, one of the most powerful admonitions we have ever received to do our home teaching #ldsconf
Tweets on hymns sung are in italics. Speakers’ names are bold in the first tweet in which they are mentioned. 8
Awesome photo of Elder Bednar with his father when the elder finally got baptized -- Elder Bednar still looks the same! #ldsconf Sisters often asked Elder Bednar when he was bishop, stake president to help their husbands learn their priesthood duty #ldsconf
Women yearn to be equally yoked with priesthood holders in building righteous, Christcentered homes #ldsconf In short, we should not shirk our duty and let women take up the slack #ldsconf President Thomas S. Monson is the presiding high priest of the high priesthood #ldsconf President Monson is the only person on earth who holds and is authorized to exercise all priesthood keys #ldsconf Next speaker is Richard C. Edgley, who was released this afternoon as first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric #ldsconf Tells story of inactive sister who was praying for courage to come back and received a calling that gave her impetus to do so #ldsconf Many less-active members want to come back, have testimonies, and will serve in callings if asked #ldsconf Story about ancestor of his who joined Church in early days in Europe #ldsconf Ancestor fell away; six generations have now passed, and upwards of 20,000 to 30,000 may be missing blessings of gospel #ldsconf Adrian Ochoa, second counselor, Young Men General Presidency, is the next speaker #ldsconf What power can be greater than assisting Heavenly Father in blessing the lives of our fellowmen? #ldsconf Magify the power of your priesthood by being clean and worthy #ldsconf We are engaged in a war, and the best way to fight is to actively -- not passively -- stand for righteousness #ldsconf Second time avtice vs. passive mentioned -amazing how these talks weave themselves into a beautiful, cohesive tapestry #ldsconf That would be “active,” not “avtice” -- oops! #ldsconf :) Relates story available on Church’s website for you -- “just Google it! But be careful” #ldsconf Aaronic Presthood holders have received Duty to God booklets to help them learn their duty #ldsconf They should also kneel down in prayer, away from technology, to learn their duty #ldsconf Choir and congregation singing “Ye Elders of Israel” (Hymns, #319) #ldsconf President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor,
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First Presidency, will be the next speaker #ldsconf He joked with his friends how his stake president in Frankfurt, Germany, looked so old fashioned #ldsconf President Uchtdorf wonders if youth today look at him the same way he looked at his branch president #ldsconf He learned not just the *what* of his calling as deacons quorum president, but the *why* #ldsconf This is how callings should be extended in the Church #ldsconf Foundational principles of Church should be taught again and again, but it should not be rote or boring #ldsconf The *what* informs, but the *why* transforms #ldsconf When called as stake president in Frankfurt, he wondered if he would have time, but he knew Lord was extending call #ldsconf Notably, it was the late Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve who extended call to him #ldsconf There were so many things stake presidency could do that they had to set priorities to get the most important things done #ldsconf There are many *good* things eqach of us can do, but we must stay focused on the things that matter most #ldsconf God is faithful and he will speak to us through the Holy Ghost to give us guidance for each stage of our lives #ldsconf “The value of an idea lies in the using of it.” --Thomas Edison #ldsconf “Let us be doers of the word, not hearers only.” --James 1:22 #ldsconf Staying focused on the basics of gospel living will bring us clarity and direction #ldsconf President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor, First Presidency, is the next speaker #ldsconf President Monson is the one person alive who is responsible for the priesthood keys that seal families #ldsconf Commandment to go to Ohio and build temple so Saints could be endowed with power from on high --D&C 38:32 #ldsconf The Lord gave the keys of the kingdom to Peter --Matthew 16:19 #ldsconf This is a very doctrinally-rich talk on the role
of priesthood keys in the Church and our lives #ldsconf Four things to help strenghten families: 1. gain and keep sure witness that jeys of priesthood are with us #ldsconf 2. Love your wife #ldsconf 3. Enlist the entire family to love and care for each other #ldsconf 4. Lead your family in the Lord’s way when discipline is needed; correct in the Lord’s way #ldsconf Doctrine and Covenants 121:41-44, 46 #ldsconf President Thomas S. Monson will be the concluding speaker #ldsconf Priesthood is an everlasting prinicple and will exist forever #ldsconf The priesthood is the power of God delegated to man to act for the salvation of mankind #ldsconf We are privileged to hold the priesthood; it is not a gift so much as a commission to serve #ldsconf President Monson has been attending priesthood meetings in one capacity or another for 72 years since he was ordained deacon #ldsconf “Let every man learn his duty” Doctrine and Covenants 107:99 #ldsconf Each of us should learn our duty and then act on it; we must be worthy to do so #ldsconf When one becomes a holder of the priesthood, he becomes an agent of the Lord #ldsconf Miracles are everywhere to be found when priesthood is understood and honored and faith is used #ldsconf When Pres Monson was bishop, First Presidency asked bishops to write personal monthly letter to each serviceman; his ward had 23 #ldsconf
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands apart from other churches that claim their authority is derived from historical succession, the scriptures, or theological training. We make the distinctive declaration that priesthood authority has been conferred by the laying on of hands directly from heavenly messengers to the Prophet Joseph Smith.
If you do not fulfill your duty, God may hold you responsible for those you might have saved #ldsconf When we do our duty, we are emulating the example of Jesus Christ when he submitted his will to that of the Father #ldsconf Choir singing “Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd” (Hymns, #221) #ldsconf Elder Larry R. Lawrence is offering the benediction #ldsconf Tabernacle Choir broadcast tomorrow at 11.30am EDT followed by Sunday morning session at noon #ldsconf
ELDER DAVID A. BEDNAR QUORUM OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES Ensign, May 2012, page 48
9
Sunday morning session
10.00 MDT 1 APRIL 2012
President Uchtdorf’s two-word sermon on judging others: “Stop it.” #ldsconf
President Eyring conducted. In an effort to engage my fellow tweeters, I asked, Hey, #TwitterStake, where is everyone tweeting from? We are in New York City #ldsconf
President Uchtdorf: I will even quote a bumper sticker I recently saw: “Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you” #ldsconf
As far as I know, no one responded. Oh, well. President Uchtdorf was the first speaker at the session. He gave a talk on the need to quit judging others that may become a general conference classic. It included a two-word sermon that quickly became a catchphrase among members of the Church.
How can we deny others any measure of the grace we so desperately desire for ourselves? #ldsconf We should forgive others as we wish to be forgiven -- an attitude that requires a change of thinking, a change of heart #ldsconf During the next talk, by Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve, I replied to a tweet from As Sistas In Zion (@sistasinzion) on whether speakers at general conference wear makeup: @SistasInZion I have also wondered if they wear makeup. It wouldn’t surprise me if they have just a little on. Speaking of physical appearance, I noted the following about Elder Nelson’s remarks: Elder Nelson was a surgeon, so it’s not surprising that he speaks often about the body as a manifestation of the divine #ldsconf The attributes by which we will be judged one day are all spiritual, not physical #ldsconf
This topic of judging others could actually be taught in a two-word sermon. When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following:
Stop it!
The next speaker, Elder Donald A. Rasband of the Presidency of the Seventy, was yet another in a string of speakers throughout the conference who spoke about children facing affliction of one form or another in their lives. As a father, such stories take on a whole new meaning than before, because they are so easy to personalize. I stated, As a somewhat new parent, all these stories about children with physical difficulties are getting to be a bit too much for me #ldsconf As Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve was speaking, my Twitter feed gained its 500th follower (someone who subscribes to a Twitter feed through their own Twitter account; Twitter notifies users of each new follower, and each Twitter feed shows a list of all those following it, with links to those other users’ Twitter pages). I tweeted, Awesome! We just reached 500 followers. Thanks, everyone!
PRESIDENT DIETER F. UCHTDORF SECOND COUNSELOR, FIRST PRESIDENCY 10
Ensign, May 2012, page 75
President Uchtdorf speaking at the Sunday morning session.
Of the closing hymn I noted, Choir singing “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” which used to be in the hymnbook but unfortunately no longer is #ldsconf THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
Sunday afternoon session
14.00 MDT 1 APRIL 2012
@LDSWeekly on Twitter.
The prelude organ music (without singing, as is usually the case as the Sunday afternoon session opens) was “O Savior, Thou Who Wearest a Crown” (#197). This tune was adapted by Johann Sebastian Bach and is one of the most beautiful pieces in the entire hymnbook. President Uchtdorf conducted. Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve was the first speaker. He is originally from Logan, Utah, in the Cache Valley—and he sure talks like it. I commented, It’s funny how he never pronounces it “Book of Mormon”; it’s always “Book o’Marmon” #ldsconf The next speaker, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve, gave us a list of ways we can strengthen our families and homes: What can we do? 1. Prioritize: put everything you do outside the home to what happens inside your home #ldsconf Organize your personal lives to make time for prayer, scripture, and family activity #ldsconf 2. We need to do things in the right order: marriage, then family #ldsconf Remove any of your fear with faith; trust the power of God to guide you #ldsconf 3. Husbands and wives should be equal partners in marriage #ldsconf 4. Use the family resources of the Church #ldsconf During this talk I commented to As Sistas In Zion (@sistasinzion) that I liked their term “Bedlamites.” Moses 1:39—“For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality
and eternal life of man”—was cited several times throughout the conference sessions, including during the remarks of Elder David F. Evans of the Seventy. Elder Paul B. Pieper of the Seventy referred speakers to Doctrine and Covenants 90:15: “And set in order the churches, and study and learn, and become acquainted with all good books, and with languages, tongues, and people.” Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve referred to Matthew 22:42, “What think ye of Christ?” He then instructed, We should each ask, What thinks Christ of me? #ldsconf In the turbulent environment of the world today, we rejoice in being disciples of Christ #ldsconf Elder Andersen also noted that President Monson was ordained an Apostle when Elder Andersen was 12 years old! #ldsconf President Monson was the concluding speaker of the session and of general conference. He admonished Church members that “There shall be no disputations among you” 3 Nephi 11:28-30 http://www.lds.org/scriptures/ bofm/3-ne/11.28-30?lang=eng#27 #ldsconf The choir closed conference by singing “I Need Thee Every Hour” (#98), a hymn that became significant to me on my mission. I would listen to it at the end of particularly hard days. And thus ended yet another remarkable general conference of the Church. When I was younger, they seemed to take so long. Now it’s amazing how quickly they’re over. d
11
FOCUS ON FIONA By FIONA
18–26 February 2012 Fiona, with passport in hand, takes her first trip abroad.
Fiona goes to Iceland
I
n December, when we had that tree in our house, I received a book from Karen, Bob, Michael and Charlotte. It’s about airplanes. I looked at it a few times, but I didn’t really get it. Then, one day, Mama and Daddy mentioned that we would be getting on an airplane. I still didn’t know what that meant, but they seemed to be indicating that we would be going somewhere. A few days later, they started putting my clothes and diapers into a suitcase. They told me to get Brown Bear and my blanket, and then we took the subway—pretty awesome!—to another train—really awesome!—to the airport, where we got on an airplane— weird at first, but when we got off, I realized it was totally awesome! We were on the plane for a long time, it seemed, and I had somehow forgotten Brown Bear at home. When we got off the plane, we were in a very different place. We had to stand in line, which would have been boring except that I got to hold on to these little blue books with our pictures in them. At the front of the line was a guy behind a window, and I handed the books to him so he could stamp them—I had kept my eye on the people in front of me so I would know what to do. It turns out we were in some place called Iceland. We went to church there, and we met some friendly senior missionaries, Elder and Sister Callaway, who invited us over to their house for dinner that night. I sat in a regular chair and ate a biscuit. But the best part was that I made a new friend at their house. Her name is Ingi, and she’s an Icelandic bear. Sister
Fiona & Ingi
Fiona & the Bónus pig
Fiona & the whale
Ingi checks out her new American home. She seemed very comfortable with my Scandinavian chair from IKEA.
This is my favorite Icelandic character, the Bónus pig.
This was one of the whales that waved right at me. I waved back, but I’m not sure he saw me.
APRIL 2012
Callaway said I could keep her, since there weren’t any kids in her house to play with her. I had a good time getting to know Ingi, who showed me some interesting things about Iceland. She came home with us, too, so now she has a lot of friends from all over, like Churchill (from the Northwest Territories), Red Panda (from China), and, of course, Brown Bear (from the northern Rockies). One of my favorite places in Iceland was a grocery store with a friendly pig outside. He was so funny! He always smiled back at me when I waved and said hi. I also got to wave and say hi to some whales, which I’ve seen in some of my books. I couldn’t see the entire whale because they were mostly covered with water, but they lifted up their arms to wave at us while we were on the boat. Waving to the whales was definitely the highlight of that boat trip—it was nothing like the comfortable boats I’ve ridden in New York. I did not feel very good because the boat was moving around so much. Finally I just went to sleep. One day, we went to this place where I got to try out my snow boots. I don’t know what it was, but there was snow, so that was cool. Then we went to a place where water shoots out of the ground. Whoo, that was so neat! And there were these bushes that were prickly, just like in my favorite Sesame Street video. We also went swimming in this strange pool. I wasn’t too happy about it at first, because after we put on bathing suits and took showers, we went outside in the cold air! Fortunately, Mama and Daddy picked me up and put me in the pool, which was nice and warm. I also wasn’t too keen on the orange things they put on my arms, but they did help me float around and keep my head above water, so I had a good time. After a few days, Mama and Daddy packed all of our stuff into the suitcase again, and we went back to the airport. It was another long trip home. But I had a great time, and now when I look at my airplane book it makes a lot more sense. And seeing airplanes in the sky has so much more meaning now that I know there are people in them, flying off to see some amazing place! d
Fiona & her snow boots
Fiona & Geysir
Fiona & the pool
Here I give my new snow boots a spin for the first time. They can be a bit difficult for some kids to walk in, but I’m a natural.
I thought “geysers” were just really big fire hydrants, but Mama and Daddy said they weren’t.
These orange wings were awkward on land but they did look pretty flashy.
13
FIONA UPDATE
A portrait of the artist as a little baby By SUSAN
9 April 2012 Fiona talks a lot, tries on clothes, and is given to melodrama. So she’s basically a teenager in a toddler’s body.
14
W
ell, it’s been a while since I’ve written an update, so here’s the latest. Fiona has learned to say a few words—finally. At 16 months, when she was supposed to be saying at least three words (with meanings), she was saying none at all. So at 18 months, when she still didn’t say any words, we had her hearing tested. Just as we suspected, it was totally fine. She understands us perfectly, and she communicates very well, but she apparently wasn’t all that interested in using words. But shortly afterwards, she started saying “hi.” A week or so later, just before we went to Iceland, she started saying “no.” Fortunately, she still says it in a cute way, not an annoying way—she sticks her lips out and says, “noooooo…” The other day she was in her room building block towers, and apparently the blocks were not cooperating. Every time they fell down, she said “noo noo noo noo!” “Hi” and “no” were it for a while, and then I was pretty sure she said “cheese” one night. A few days later, when I went to pick her up from her friends’ house, their mom told me she thought Fiona had said “cheese.” She says it a little more often now. In the last week, she has also added “shoes” and “juice,” which, you’ll notice, are essentially the same word as “cheese.” There are differences in how she pronounces them, but context is still important for us to understand. She sometimes also says “t-hhhew,” which means thank you (we’re pretty sure). And, last weekend, when I showed her her bellybutton in the mirror, she started saying “be-be” and pointing at people’s tummies. I’m very proud of a few little scrapes that Fiona has gotten at the playground. She’s so tough. Of course, I only feel that way about small injuries. She recently had a slightly more serious problem involving her fingernail. One night when we were in Iceland, she fell down in our hotel room and somehow smashed her finger. Since she was crying a lot and she had one of those little pinch-blisters on the inside of the finger, I was a little worried at first that it might be broken. But she got over it in a few minutes and went back to
playing, picking things up, bending her fingers in a way that I found reassuring. Within a few days, the nail started turning yellow, and I had a feeling it was going to fall off, but I figured it would be sort of gradual. It wasn’t. Two weeks later, Dustin emailed me at school to tell me that her nail was coming off and she was very upset about it. We had to start putting bandaids on it to keep it from getting yanked off. It fell off completely within a day or two, but she still wanted a bandaid on at all times. She would wake up shrieking if it came off while she was asleep. The new nail is growing back in now, and we have convinced her that her finger is safe and she no longer needs a bandaid on it. One of Fiona’s latest hobbies is trying on clothes. Not so much “trying on” to see what they look like; more “trying [to put] on” anything she can find. This game involves opening her drawers and digging around near our laundry basket to find something that looks wearable. Most of the time, she chooses her own clothes, since our laundry basket is not very accessible. She’s pretty good at getting shirts over her head, and on rare occasions she gets one or both arms through the sleeves. More often, she manages to get her arms through the neckhole so that the shirt is more of a belt. She also tries on pants, with limited success. She can get her feet in, but she hasn’t figured out how to stand up and pull them up. And socks, it turns out, are really hard to get on your feet, but really easy to get on your hands, so that’s what she does. Last weekend, Dustin went to Frederick, Maryland, for his mom’s birthday. While he was gone, Fiona did pretty well, but she definitely missed him. A lot of the time, when Dustin is out somewhere when Fiona goes to bed, she waits up for him to come home. But he was gone for three nights, and I think she understood that he wasn’t going to come home that night. But she still missed him. She woke up in the middle of the night and was inconsolable. She wanted Daddy, but she knew he wasn’t there. I tried to find a t-shirt that would smell like him (that’s what you
do for dogs, so I figured it might work for a little kid, too) and couldn’t, so I brought his American flag blanket to her. As soon as she saw it, she calmed down. I put it down on her bed and she curled up on it and went to sleep. Which brings up another odd development in the last few months: Fiona loves her bed and is terrified of it being mutilated. I can’t change the sheet when she’s in the room, because she freaks out when I pick up the mattress. Complete hysterics. One time I just picked up the corner to make an adjustment, and she started screaming. Two other things that cause her to panic are these two Sesame Street videos. We’re not sure why, although we do know that she doesn’t like weird things on people’s heads, so that might explain her fear of the “engineer” one. (Update to the update: I wrote this a week ago, and two nights ago, after watching her favorite Sesame Street video [“Prickly”], she patted her head,
which I took to be a request for the “Engineer” video. She was a little nervous, but she didn’t freak out. I’m so proud of her for facing her fears.) We have one Iceland video on our YouTube channel—it’s the geyser named Strokkur, and it is really cool. For some reason, Fiona was not scared of it. And Dustin just posted a video of our Easter Egg hunt on our YouTube channel, too.
Another of Fiona’s recent fingerpainting masterpieces, Iridescent Scarab. This is just as good as anything you’ll find at the Museum of Modern Art here in New York City.
Love, Susan
15
OUR TIMES Because of its low value, the $1 bill is not an object of counterfeiters, so the Federal Reserve has decided not to redesign it for the time being. (There is also debate whether it should be in circulation at all, because of its high production cost and short life expectancy— the average $1 bill is in circulation only 16 months. Only the $1 coin would circulate.) As for the $2 bill, many members of the public don’t even realize it’s legal currency still in circulation.
A
s part of ongoing efforts to combat counterfeiting, over the past ten years the United States government has redesigned every denomination of paper currency now in circulation, except for the $1 and $2 bills. The most noticeable change? Color. When the new $20 bill entered circulation on 9 October 2003, it marked the first time in modern U.S. history that the nation’s currency had used colors other than black and green. The public has generally welcomed the fresh look and the addition of color, though
many people lament the old-fashioned design of U.S. currency compared to the more modern aesthetic of other currencies such as the Euro or even Canadian money. (The Federal Reserve says it doesn’t want to change the dollar’s design too drastically for fear that doing so would shake confidence in the currency.) Our reaction? The new notes come close to striking the right balance between the traditional look of U.S. currency while providing a fresh, modern touch. Though we do wish they had spent a little more time on the back of each note.
THE COLOR OF
THE OLD MONEY STILL IN CIRCULATION
THE DESIGN OF THE FRONT DATES TO 1963 WHILE THE DESIGN OF THE BACK IS FROM 1957; BOTH ARE BASED ON EARLIER DESIGNS DATING BACK TO THE 1920s
REISSUED IN 1976 AS PART OF THE NATION’S BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS
INTRODUCED 25 MARCH 1996
APRIL 2012
The new design for the $100 bill was unveiled 21 April 2010 and was to enter public circulation on 11 February 2011, but a production problem that resulted in up to 30% of the bills being creased during printing—and leaving a blank space on the note—has delayed the release. The new release date has yet to be determined.
THE NEW LOOK OF U.S. PAPER MONEY
ENTERED CIRCULATION 13 MARCH 2008
“Pull quote.” PULL QUOTE AUTHOR
ENTERED CIRCULATION 2 MARCH 2006
ENTERED CIRCULATION 9 OCTOBER 2003
ENTERED CIRCULATION 28 SEPTEMBER 2004
HAS NOT YET ENTERED CIRCULATION; DATE TO BE DETERMINED
Is it legal to print copies of paper currency here? Yes, it is.
Each of the above copies is 83.503 mm by 35.303 mm—approximately 54% of actual dimensions. Federal regulations require that copies be either less than 3/4 or more than 11/2 times actual size. Those same federal regulations— 18 U.S.C. 504 and Treasury Directive Number 15-56, 58 FR 48539, dated 16 September 1993—also require that copies be one-sided, as these are.
17
OUR VIEW
Jess Djiendje, a friend of ours from the Washington DC 3rd Ward, asked us via Facebook for our opinions on voting rights—and possible statehood—for our former home, the District of Columbia. D.C. is currently denied full voting representation in Congress. Like territories such as Puerto Rico, D.C. residents elect a “delegate” to the House of Representatives. This delegate, currently Eleanor Holmes Norton, can propose legislation and vote in committees, but she cannot vote on the House floor. Here are our responses to Jess’s inquiry. While Susan and Dustin agree D.C. residents deserve full voting representation in Congress, we disagree on the best mechanism to achieve it.
APRIL 2012
Of course D.C. deserves voting representation Dustin Grant D.C. statehood Of course residents of the District of Columbia deserve full voting representation in both houses of Congress. And the best way to achieve this is by making D.C. a state.
A
fter being a proud resident of the District of Columbia for over five years, I have some strong opinions on this issue. I believe that D.C. should have full representation in Congress, meaning proportional representation in the House and two Senators, each with the ability to vote and participate just like any state’s representation in the two chambers. I believe the most effective way to do this is to grant full statehood to the District of Columbia. Various other methods of giving D.C. representation in Congress have been proposed, of course, but I believe they are all inferior to full statehood for the District. Proposals to give D.C.’s delegate to the House full voting rights on the floor fall short for a number of reasons. One, in past proposals the delegate’s vote couldn’t be the deciding vote. Well, if it can’t be the deciding vote, then it doesn’t really count anyway. Two, recent proposals have relied upon making a political deal with Utah in which D.C. and Utah would both receive a representative and the membership of the House would be permanently increased to 437. (As you may know, any official elected from the District would likely be a Democrat, and any official elected from Utah would likely be a Republican, so they would counterbalance each other. Utah also felt slighted by the 2000 census, which awarded an 13th House seat to North Carolina instead of a 4th House seat to Utah. The Census Bureau based this apportionment on fewer than 1,000 people— while not allowing missionaries serving from Utah to be counted as part of Utah’s population. Being from North Carolina, serving a mission and going to college in Utah, and then living in the District, I am one of perhaps a handful of people
with a trifold personal connection to this issue.) Now that Utah has been awarded that 4th seat because of the 2010 census, you can be sure that any feelings Utah had that D.C. should receive full representation have dissipated. Beyond that, D.C. should receive full voting rights because it’s the right thing, not as the result of a political deal. Third, retrocession to Maryland is in no one’s interest. D.C. isn’t interested, Maryland isn’t interested. Solving the issue of D.C. representation by wiping D.C. off the map is clearly not a reasonable solution. Likewise, the suggestion that D.C. residents who desire congressional representation should move elsewhere is downright offensive. That’s like telling lifelong residents of Detroit that if they want jobs they should move somewhere else, residents of Camden, New Jersey, that if they want adequate police protection they should move somewhere else, or black residents of Jackson, Mississippi, that if they don’t want to suffer racism and discrimination they should move somewhere else. Fourth, most proposals would grant D.C. full voting rights in only the House. Further, no matter how large D.C. grows, most proposals would limit D.C. to no more representatives than the smallest state has (which for decades has been exactly one). Full representation in Congress means voting representation in both the House and the Senate, with proportional representation in the House and two senators. Beyond that, D.C. has more people than the smallest state, Wyoming, and is within about 100,000 people of the next three smallest states, Alaska, North Dakota, and Vermont. And yet all four of those states enjoy full representation in America’s democracy with one representative and two senators. D.C. deserves the same. Most opponents to D.C. voting rights call it a constitutional argument. They are really cloaking a very partisan position—the fact that Republicans oppose D.C. voting rights because it would virtually guarantee additional
Democratic members of Congress—but let’s take the constitutional argument at face value. If there is anything in the Constitution that is preventing American citizens who pay taxes and serve in the Armed Forces from taking their place at the table of America’s democracy with all other taxpaying, law-abiding, military-serving Americans, then the Constitution should be amended to correct it. I would support a constitutional amendment to guarantee the District of Columbia full voting rights in Congress. But all that gets me back to my original point: the most effective way to grant D.C. full voting rights is to grant it statehood. And if a constitutional amendment is required to grant D.C. statehood, then so be it. Some would say such an amendment is required because of the “District Clause,” Article I, Section 8, which gives Congress the power “To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States ….” The original reason for creating a separate district for the national capital—so that one state would not have disproportionate sway over the federal government simply because it was the home of the federal government—is not really valid any more. Remember, the crafters of the Constitution were doing something that had never been done before: creating a type of democratic country, a republic, that had never really been tried on so grand a scale. They didn’t know what the results would be, so they included some safeguards to prevent tyranny, corruption, and concentration of power in too few hands or in one place or state—and the District Clause is one of those. Now, 223 years after the ratification of the Constitution, I think it’s fair to say that the concerns that led to the inclusion of the District Clause are not valid. And neither are the concerns or arguments that continue to deny the residents of the District of Columbia—citizens of the United States—full representation in their national government. A country that stands for freedom and democracy around the world will surely want to ensure that democracy exists to its fullest at home. And after amendments XV, XIX, and XXVI—which extended voting rights to nonwhites, women, and all citizens 18 years and older, respectively—D.C. statehood, and Amendment XXVIII if necessary, is the last constitutional obstacle to ensuring that America’s democracy is alive, vibrant, and open to every American citizen, regardless of where he or she lives.
“Pull quote.” PULL QUOTE AUTHOR
Democracy denied The home address of every resident of the District of Columbia is determined by its position relative to the United States Capitol—the Rotunda, here, is at the intersection of the city’s four quadrants—yet D.C. residents have never had a representative with full voting rights in this building.
19 PHOTO TAKEN 24 MARCH 2012 BY KATIE HARBATH, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 FLICKR.COM/PHOTOS/KATIEHARBATH/7015900349
Plates of protest The Government of the District of Columbia introduced these license plates in 2000 to protest the District’s lack of congressional representation. The slogan “taxation without representation” was used by patriots during the American Revolution to protest the fact that they lacked representation in Parliament yet were required to pay taxes. This license plate was on Susan’s car; Dustin took a photo of it the day we moved to New York City.
20
Susan Amend the Constitution Of course residents of the District of Columbia deserve voting representation in Congress—but D.C. doesn’t have to become a state to make that happen. Amend the Constitution instead.
I
think it’s pretty clear that citizens of the United States, living in the United States, should have voting representation in Congress, because that’s what this country was based on— the right to vote for representatives; the right to a “republican form of government.” I’m aware that the Constitution only requires that states have a republican form of government, and D.C. is not a state. But, obviously, the Founders meant for Americans to have a say in their government, and I think any reasonable person would agree that Americans should have a say in their government. The only argument against granting voting representation to D.C. is that it’s unconstitutional. Sure it is. Just like, in 1800, it would have been unconstitutional for Congress to outlaw slavery, or in 1915, it would have been unconstitutional for Congress to prohibit the manufacture and sale of alcohol, or in 1925, it would have been unconstitutional for Congress to allow the sale of alcohol. Whenever I hear someone—invariably a Republican who doesn’t want more Democrats in
Congress, although I’m sure it would be the other way around if Republicans were the majority in D.C.—say, “But no, we can’t give D.C. voting rights, because that’s not in the Constitution!” my thought is, “Right! So amend the Constitution, dummy!” I say, if something is the right thing to do, you do it, even if it means you have to go to some trouble, and even if it means you might not get what you want. If the cashier gives you too much change, you walk back into the store and return it, even if you’re in a hurry, and even if you wanted to use it to buy some ice cream. If a citizen of your own country doesn’t have voting representation in Congress, you give them voting representation in Congress, even if amending the Constitution is a pain, and even if it means your side might not have as much power. You just do it because it’s right. However, I don’t necessarily think D.C. needs to be a state. I kind of like the special title of “district.” It’s just a reminder that it’s the capital of our country, and it’s special and set apart. Plus, what would we do with the national flag? And as long as we’re amending the Constitution, we can do it any way we want. So we wouldn’t have to make it a state. d PHOTO TAKEN 1 SEPTEMBER 2011 BY DUSTIN
The time is always right for repentance
H
appy new year! I have a point in saying that, which I will return to in just a moment. But first I would like to mention that our branch president, Jose Roque, asked me to find speakers for sacrament meeting this month. Being the one assigned to find speakers means that you’re always the backup. I couldn’t find speaker for today, so here I am. So, back to the new year. This time of year we talk frequently of new year’s resolutions. If you can still remember what your new year’s resolution was, my words over the next few moments are not for you. Rather, they are for those of you—and I would imagine that’s many if not most of you—who, like me, think new year’s resolutions are rotten. Now, even Church leaders have spoken of the value in setting (and keeping) resolutions, so I’m not trying to knock them. I guess you can call what I’m saying “words of comfort” to those of us for whom making resolutions just doesn’t work. Here’s why I have trouble with new year’s resolutions. You procrastinate working on personal improvements late in the previous year, thinking that you’ll “clean up your act” with a resolution as soon as the new year comes. So, say on 15 November you realize something you need to improve, so you wait a month and a half until the new year comes—and a resolution with it—rather than working on improvement right away. It would be even worse if you realized something you can improve on today, 15 January, and you waited until the new year—11 and a half months from now—to work on it. If you’re like me, you can think of way too many things to try to improve, which makes it difficult to narrow it down to just one or two resolutions. So you establish a dozen or so resolutions—and set yourself up for failure. But let’s say you make it past all that and actually establish a new year’s resolution. Let’s say you even keep it for a while. But in the process of establishing a new habit or making some other improvement in your life you will eventually and inevitably mess up. If you mess up once—you miss a day doing a new habit you’re trying to develop, you sneak a piece of cake,
whatever—and especially if you’re a perfectionist like me, a “doomsday scenario” plays out: it’s all over. You have to give up until next year. This year is ruined. It’s been especially bad for me, because my birthday falls 9 days after the new year. So, for example, I just turned 30. Does that qualify me as an adult now? So, I should be and act a certain way, right—closer to perfection than I’ve ever been? Well, as it turns out, it’s not so easy. Now those of you who do a good job of making and keeping new year’s resolutions can start listening again. I think this entire process of trying to achieve new year’s resolutions mirrors the repentance process and its difficulties.
WE BELIEVE IN CHRIST By DUSTIN
15 January 2012 The door to repentance and progression—opened by the infinite and eternal Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ—is never closed.
What is repentance? Though we probably all know the meaning of repentance, let’s review it one more time to make sure we’re all on the same page. An excellent definition of repentance can be found in Preach My Gospel, the guide fulltime missionaries and all other Church members can use to review the basics of the gospel of Jesus Christ and teach them to others. There we read, “To repent, we recognize our sins and feel remorse, or godly sorrow. We confess our sins to God. We also confess very serious sins to God’s authorized Church leaders, who can help us repent. We ask God in prayer to forgive us. We do all we can to correct the problems our actions may have caused; this is called restitution. As we repent, our view of ourselves and the world changes. As we change, we recognize that we are children of God and that we need not continue making the same mistakes over and over. If we sincerely repent, we turn away from our sins and do them no more. We resist any desire to commit sin. Our desire to follow God grows stronger and deeper” (page 62). The door to repentance is open 60/60/24/7. (That’s all 60 seconds of every minute, all 60 minutes of every hour, all 24 hours of every day, and all 7 days of every week.) Every moment— every time we realize that there is something can improve on, that something is amiss in our lives, that we have made a mistake—is an opportunity to repent. The door to repentance and progression—opened by the infinite and
This text is adapted from a talk Dustin gave in the sacrament meeting of the Bushwick 1st Branch on 15 January 2012. APRIL 2012
The disciples’ willingness to obey the commandments given by the Lord during his ministry among the people in the Western Hemisphere should serve as an example in our efforts to improve and be obedient. The moment we realize that our actions are not entirely in line with the Lord’s will is the moment we should begin the process of repentance. There is never any reason to delay.
eternal Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ—is never closed. In the Book of Mormon is a passage that is often used among Church members to emphasize the importance of recordkeeping, but I believe it also illustrates the opportunity to repent and begin following the Lord’s commandments at any moment in our lives. At one point during his ministry among the people on this continent, the Savior asks his disciple Nephi to bring the records that the people had kept. When Nephi does so the Lord looks over the record. The Savior then reminds his disciples of the prophecy given by Samuel the Lamanite, “that at the day that the Father should glorify his name in me that there were many saints who should arise from the dead, and should appear unto many, and should minister unto them. … Was it not so?” The disciples reply that Samuel had indeed made such a prophecy and that it had been fulfilled. Then the Lord gently but firmly chastises them in the form of a question: “How be it that ye have not written this thing, that many saints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them?” He commands them to record this prophecy and its fulfillment. And 3 Nephi 23:13 reports, “therefore it was written according as he commanded.” The Lord commanded, and his disciples fulfilled his commandment. It doesn’t say they waited until the Lord left, or that they waited until the new year when they could make a resolution to do what the Lord had commanded them. The disciples’ obedience to the Lord’s commandment was, as far as we can tell, immediate. (You can read the full account in 3 Nephi 23:7-13.) So should our obedience to the Lord’s commandments be. The moment we realize that our actions are not entirely in line with the Lord’s will is the moment we should begin the process of repentance. There is never any reason to delay. Repentance is a process, not a moment. And it is sometimes a very long process. Another story from the Book of Mormon illustrates just how long this process can take. Think back to the very beginning of the Book of Mormon, about 600 b.c., as Lehi is leading his family away from Jerusalem because of the visions he had seen. While two of his sons, Sam and Nephi, believe in the prophecies of their father, two of Lehi’s sons,
Laman and Lemuel, do not. In fact, they believe that God has nothing to do with it; that their father is just a crazy old man whose insanity, not prophetic authority, has led them on this quixotic quest through the wilderness toward a “promised land.” In 1 Nephi 2:11 we read, “[Laman and Lemuel] did murmur in many things against their father, because he was a visionary man, and had led them out of the land of Jerusalem, to leave the land of their inheritance, and their gold, and their silver, and their precious things, to perish in the wilderness. And this they said he had done because of the foolish imaginations of his heart.” Now fast forward about 500 years, to sometime between 90 and 77 b.c. Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah are missionaries among their enemies, the Lamanites, the descendants of Laman and Lemuel. For generations and centuries the Lamanites had been taught the erroneous beliefs of their parents: that Lehi had led his family away from Jerusalem “because of the foolish imaginations of his heart” and that Nephi—Laman and Lemuel’s younger brother—and his followers had wrested control and riches, such as the brass plates, away from Lehi’s rightful heirs—his eldest sons, Laman and Lemuel. Let’s specifically look at Aaron’s experience teaching king Lamoni’s father. Aaron begins this missionary discussion using a method familiar to modern-day missionaries called “building on common beliefs”—starting with what your investigator already believes that is in common with the teachings of the Church and building on that foundation of knowledge. “Aaron ... said unto him: Believest thou that there is a God? And the king said: I know that the Amalekites say that there is a God, and I have granted unto them that they should build sanctuaries, that they may assemble themselves together to worship him. And if now thou sayest there is a God, behold I will believe. “And now when Aaron heard this, his heart began to rejoice, and he said: Behold, assuredly as thou livest, O king, there is a God. “And the king said: Is God that Great Spirit that brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem? “And Aaron said unto him: Yea, he is that Great Spirit, and he created all things both in heaven and in earth” (Alma 22:7-10). Somehow and unexplicably—but surely through the guidance of the Holy Ghost—over nearly five centuries, the king of the Lamanites had gone from believing that their ancestors had been taken away from Jerusalem “because
22 THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
of the foolish imaginations of [Lehi’s] heart” to the knowledge that God—or the “Great Spirit,” as king Lamoni’s father called him—had brought their ancestors to the promised land. Five centuries is a very long time. And while this story illustrates just how long the process of repentance can take, let’s hope that none of us ever takes five centuries to make improvements in our own lives, at the very least because I doubt any of us will have that long to make improvements. Let me also note that repentance does not always involve fervent prayer. In the case of the Lamanites whose hearts were softened before Nephite missionaries even began to preach among them, their change of heart surely came as the result of gentle, virtually undetectable nudging from the Holy Ghost. The same can also happen in our own lives. Repentance can also mean meditating, or “pondering” as Latterday Saints often refer to it—thinking about our actions, who we are as individuals, plotting a path forward toward perfection, and then acting. All of which leads me to my next point.
and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more …” (2 Nephi 28:30). As recently as this past general conference Brother Matthew O. Richardson, second counselor in the Sunday School general presidency, taught, “Please note that while the Holy Ghost teaches ‘the truth of all things,’ He does not teach all truth all at once. The Spirit teaches truth ‘line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little’” (Ensign, November 2011, page 95). And the great king Benjamin in the Book of Mormon, in his sermon to his people taught, “And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order” (Mosiah 4:27). Repentance, once again, is the process of perfection, but the Lord does not expect us to become perfect in a moment. And neither should we.
Repentance is the process of perfection, not simply the process of overcoming our mistakes or even simply becoming better people. It is the process of becoming like our Father in Heaven and like our Savior, Jesus Christ. It should lead us to set our sights on eternity, not simply tomorrow, next month, next year, or even a decade from now. Because of its lofty aim, we should avoid the tendency to feel overwhelmed with all the things we need to do and all the areas where we need to improve. These feelings of inadequacy are compounded by the fact that the process of repentance and perfection—and following the Holy Ghost—helps us realize additional areas where we need to improve. As the image of what our Father in Heaven wants us to become comes into sharper focus, we realize more and more how little we look like that image. Repentence— the process of perfection—leads us to greater knowledge of how imperfect we are and how great our need to repent. In short, repentence leads to ever more repentence. But though our aims should be eternal in nature, the Lord is very aware that we arrive at eternity and perfection one small moment and one tiny step at a time. Nephi tells us, “For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts,
The great gift of repentance leads to the greatest gifts the Lord has in store for us. True repentance is possible only in and through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. His sufferings in Gethsemane and on the cross opened the door to repentance, improvement, progression, and perfection. In the latter days the Lord himself revealed: “For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; “But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; “Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink— “Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men. “Wherefore, I command you again to repent …” (Doctrine and Covenants 19:16-20). I am eternally grateful for the gift of repentance. I thank my Father in Heaven for the gift of his Son, whose Atonement makes repentance and overcoming mistakes possible in my life. And I pray that each of us will remember that that door—the key to which was bought at so great and infinite a cost—is always open, every moment of every day. d
Repentance is the process of perfection, but the Lord does not expect us to become perfect in a moment. And neither should we.
23
CLOSING THOUGHTS By DUSTIN
New York is a great town with great pizza. But quite possibly the very best pizza in New York is made within the walls of our own home.
APRIL 2012
I NY—but Susan & I make better pizza
I
love pizza. I can’t remember a time in my life I didn’t like it. I mean, who doesn’t like pizza, right? If there is a universally-loved food, I believe it’s pizza. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who said they don’t like it. Even chocolate isn’t liked by everyone; I’ve met a few people in my life who have a real aversion to chocolate. And, clearly, a real aversion to taste, but that’s a topic for a different time. But pizza— nope, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who didn’t like it. That’s not to say that all pizza is liked by everyone equally. Different brands, different types—everyone has their favorite and disfavored varieties. Different slices for different folks, as they say. Okay, so they don’t really say that, but close enough. Take me, for instance, since I’m writing this. I have never really liked Papa John’s pizza, though I’m not above eating it if it’s offered to me. Especially if I can dip each slice into that totally-bad-for-you, artery-clogging, but-oh-sogood buttery garlic stuff that comes with it. It occurs to me that if the best word I can come up with for an item I am ingesting is “stuff,” then maybe I shouldn’t eat it. But, again, that’s a topic for a different time. Even in Italy there was plenty of pizza going around that I wouldn’t touch. Such as pizza al tonno—tuna pizza. The thought of cracking open a can of tuna and spreading it out over a pizza is revolting to most Americans, I’d say. Then there’s the type of pizza many Italian kids like to eat, with hot dogs chopped up and spread over the top. That is also revolting. Let’s say I hadn’t eaten for days and my only choices were a pizza al tonno and a pizza with chopped up hot dogs all over it. I think I’d starve. Then there’s pizza with corn. Europeans seem to think of this as “American-style,” but I don’t think it would ever occur to most Americans to put corn on pizza. I don’t think we would find it revolting—corn is clearly not in the same category as chopped-up tuna or choppedup hot dogs. Just unusual. Unless it’s a flatbread from Jamba Juice, in which case it’s pretty good. But, admittedly, probably loaded with salt. And it probably comes to the store frozen and they just quickly heat it up for you, so basically you’re spending three bucks on a frozen pizza.
There was a commercial I once saw on TV in The Netherlands. A man wakes up in the middle of the night in need of a midnight snack—a so-called American-style pizza. He gets out of bed and walks downstairs—in his cowboy boots—to heat up a frozen pizza with corn on it. It’s funny to see the stereotypes others have of us Americans. Since, of course, we never stereotype them, right? Kind of like the sizes of ice-cream cones offered in France: one boule (or scoop), two boules, three boules, or américain, which has not just four scoops but also toppings such as chantilly (whipped cream), nuts, chocolate sauce, and, of course, a cérise (cherry). But, again, that’s a topic for a different discussion. So back to me. Or, rather, the types of pizza I do and don’t like. When we lived in Washington, D.C.—and right next to a grocery store—Susan and I would have frozen pizza quite often. It was basically the only frozen food we would buy. And other than being a bit high in sodium, like most frozen foods, it’s pretty good, as long as you get the right type. We would occasionally enhance it with our own additional toppings. All in all, our almost weekly pizza nights were something to look forward to. We occasionally went out for pizza. There were a couple of small pizza shops along 18th Street NW in Adams Morgan, a few blocks from where we lived. We once went to Ella’s Wood Fired Pizza in downtown D.C., across F Street NW from the Smithsonian Institution’s Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture.1 Ella’s was good, but not $13-for-a-10inch-margarita-pizza good, especially compared to the pizzerias I frequented in Italy, where a decent—as in, better than Ella’s—margarita pizza was half that much, even at the dollar’s unfortunate exchange rate with the Euro.2 I recall only one occasion in D.C. when we ordered out pizza. If there were other times we had pizza delivered, they clearly weren’t good enough to remember. Then we moved to New York City, a town so known for its pizza that it’s actually called New York–style. Pizza here can be pretty good. It can also be pretty inexpensive, if you know where to look. On 2 September 2011, the day after we
moved to New York, we went to a pizzeria near Susan’s school in Williamsburg. The pizza at La Nonna was pretty good, but it was also pretty pricey. Definitely not something we could make into a habit. Then we ran across a place in Midtown, at 6th Avenue and 39th Street, which had a special: two slices of pizza and a soft drink for $2.50. Now that could fit into our budget. We thought it would be fun to grab a couple of slices of pizza and a soda and then take Fiona to ride the carousel at Bryant Park. But the guys behind the counter were not only rude but also used a racial slur—for Asians, which is odd, since I’m clearly not Asian—when they thought I took too long to decide what to get. It was one of those moments when, in hindsight, we really should have just walked out of the store. Yet it happened so fast and unexpectedly that I didn’t really have the time and forethought to react. But, needless to say, we determined then never to return. Then I ran across another pizzeria with the same special, 2 Bros. Pizza. It’s a local chain with a number of locations across Manhattan and even one in downtown Brooklyn. The original location, on St. Marks Place near New York University and the Cooper Union, has two locations on the same block, separated by just a few storefronts. Three, to be exact, plus entrances to two apartment buildings, as far as I can count. I’m not sure which is the actual original location. But the location I have been to most often is not on St. Marks Place but at 6th Avenue at 17th Street. It’s very convenient to the subway station at 6th Avenue and 14th Street, which has an exit at 16th street and is served by both the L and M trains, which are the two lines nearest to where we live. I’ve searched for other locations as PHOTO TAKEN BY DUSTIN
needed using Google Maps on my phone.3 But here’s the thing. For a buck per slice of cheese pizza, or “plain,” as New Yorkers often call it, 2 Bros. is pretty good. But, obviously, it’s not that good. It’s only a buck. And I’m pretty sure the cheese isn’t real mozzarella. It’s probably “shredded mozzarella product.” And (like that garlic “stuff ” I mentioned earlier), if the best word for an item I’m ingesting is “product,” I probably shouldn’t eat it. So let’s say we upgraded and got slices at a place that’s a little more expensive and a little higher quality than 2 Bros. You know, a place that uses real mozzarella. The pizza would be better, yes, but it would still pale in comparison to what we can make at home. That’s right: we make pretty darn good pizza right here in our own little kitchen. Better, honestly, than anything I’ve had from a pizzeria in New York. Maybe it’s because Susan worked for a time at a Papa Murphy’s (a chain in Utah that makes pizzas that you can take home and bake yourself—their “Chicago-style” is pretty good, whether or not it’s really what true Chicago-style pizza is like). Maybe it’s because Susan is just a really good cook in general. Maybe it has to do with the New York water—which is what a lot of people claim gives New York–style pizza its flavor anyway—that we put in the crust (which, yes, we make ourselves). Maybe it’s because we always use real mozzarella cheese and we can put whatever toppings in whatever amount we want on our pizza. And we can make sure our toppings are fresh and decently healthy. The moral of the story? A New York–size slice of New York–style pizza is great, and you can find it cheap—but Susan-and-Dustin-style pizza is better.
Better than New York– style: A pizza Susan and Dustin made at home on 20 January 2012.
NOTES 1. The Reynolds Center has such a long name because it’s the home of two separate Smithsonian museums housed in one common building: the American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. And because Washingtonians really like long names. 2. The exchange rate at the time was somewhere between $1.20 and $1.30 to €1. 3. Another 2 Bros. location, on 6th Avenue between 37th and 38th streets, which I found through a Google Maps search and subsequently patronized, was reported back in March by The New York Times to be in a price war with its neighboring pizzerias (there are three, including 2 Bros., within two blocks). Check out “Pizza for $1, 79¢, 75¢ A Slice!” on page A15 of the 31 March 2012 New York edition of The New York Times, or read the article at http:// www.nytimes.com/2012/03/31/nyregion/ in-manhattan-pizza-war-price-of-slicekeeps-dropping.html. It’s a fun read.
25
LAST LOOK
2 3 O C TO BER 1 988
A springcleaning find I wrote this letter to my grandmother when my family and I lived in Mesa, Arizona. I found it recently during a round of spring cleaning. It was a pleasant surprise to discover I still had it after more than 23 years. It is a newfound connection to my grandmother, who passed away in 1996. —dustin APRIL 2012
SEE “A FIRST AND FOURTH ANNIVERSARY”, PAGE 2
IMAGE IN COLOR BAR ON NAMEPLATE TAKEN 2 MARCH 2007 BY DANIEL SCHWEN, CC BY-SA 2.5 HTTP://COMMONS.W IKIMEDIA.ORG/WIKI/FILE:GOE_PLATZ_DER_SYNAGOGE_DETAIL_2_NOCA.JPG
“But, really, the important point here is that we didn’t get married just because we had things in common; we got married because we loved each other and wanted to be together forever. It’s love and commitment, not similarities, that make or break a marriage. So far, so good.”