Daddy’s Here

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My Joe’s been sick, Amy read. Keep him in your prayers. She scrolled through her news feed, her finger moving faster and faster.

We’ve all tested positive.

Been down for a month.

Feeling better, but still have trouble with stairs.

Pray for my David. He’s never been sicker.

“You don’t know that’s what he has.” Matt stood in the doorway. She hadn’t heard him come in.

Amy’s eyes fixed on his silhouette. She turned back to her phone, then down to the blanket-bundle on the bed. “But he has a fever.”

Matt came forward. He placed a hand over the screen, pulled it from her grasp, and set it on the nightstand. He kneeled beside the bed. “I know, but you’ve been reading bad news all day. Maybe longer.”

Amy sighed. Another tear escaped down her cheek.

“Here.” He moved the comforter aside. Pushing her legs out to hang over the side, he rubbed at them; massaged her feet. “Go shower. I can take over.”

She met his gaze. She hadn’t moved from where he shifted her.

“Please, Amy. He’ll be fine for a few minutes.”

She sighed.

“Please.”

She shifted. He stood. She let him help her rise. She did not let him walk with her. “Stay here.” she said, head raised and eyes locked on his. “I don’t want him to be alone for even a second.”

Matt nodded and moved to the bed. He sat in the same spot she’d vacated. Looking up, he saw her watching. “I’ll stay here. I promise.”

Now she nodded. Her shadow followed her down the hall. The bathroom door closed.

He heard the shower water turn on. The bundle of blankets to his side whimpered and a fist emerged. “Shhhhh,” Matt said, stroking his son’s face. He moved to hold the fist. “Daddy’s here.”

©2022 Chel Owens

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I’m a Mormon, So…

Chel Owens24 Comments

I’m a Mormon, so I know that God speaks to us, His children.

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It’s called revelation.

Revelation is communication from God to His children. This guidance comes through various channels according to the needs and circumstances of individuals, families, and the Church as a whole. When the Lord reveals His will to the Church, He speaks through His prophet. Prophets are the only people who can receive revelation for the Church, but they are not the only people who can receive revelation. According to our faithfulness, we can receive revelation to help us with our specific personal needs, responsibilities, and questions and to help us strengthen our testimony.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints instructional manual

God speaks to the current president of the entire LDS church (currently, President Russell M. Nelson) for official commandments or policy changes. God speaks to every. single. person about his or her own needs through personal revelation. This can be in answer to a prayer, warning of danger, providing comfort, giving direction, helping another, etc. The way one receives personal revelation often comes through feelings, a leader’s talk, or reading passages of scripture.

Personally, this means that I pray to our Heavenly Father, in the name of His son Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Ghost for my revelation. -More on the Trinity, later. For now, know that they are distinct and separate.

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We receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, specifically, after baptism (more on that later as well). Thereafter, we are promised His help in our lives if we are living righteously. Following the commandments and reading scriptures helps maintain a feeling of spirituality daily, and I use that to ask for help or direction or healing or answers.

I hold no monopoly on this phenomenon. Everyone else can receive personal revelation, too, although it’s not a constant, promised companion like when you are officially blessed with His Spirit. I do not always get answers to questions nor do I always feel direction for all decisions. I do not avoid life challenges or painful experiences. I don’t hear a voice responding to my concerns, Monty Python-style. I have, however, had impressions, guidance, healings, and help finding lost objects or children.

It’s like walking in a bubble of goodness; a mental aura to which I refer as necessary.

©2022 Chel Owens

……

Technically, we Mormons are officially members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and are to drop any name but that. Since many still run with the nickname of ‘Mormon,’ however, I will keep pace.

My other note is that I will keep to official doctrinal practices. I will add my own application of them, especially in response to comments.

My final note is that I LOVE discussing anything I write. Don’t be rude, obviously, but any and all queries or responses are welcome.

My final note beyond the final note is that I do not seek to convert anyone. I ought to, but am motivated by forming connections, answering curiosity, and straightening pictures. So, you’re safe.

Chel Owens19 Comments

“My (Henry’s) mother used to say to me when I complained that things were hard, ‘If you are on the right path, it will always be uphill.’ And as the world becomes darker and more dangerous, we must keep climbing. It will be our choice whether or not to move up or to stay where we are.”

-Henry B. Eyring, “Raise the Bar“

I’ve Found My Feet

Chel Owens51 Comments

I’ve found my feet
way down, below.
My life’s complete
with my big toe

And, pinky, too
…and all the rest –
the names of who(m)
I’ve only guessed.

The point, you see,
is they’re all there;
standing, waiting:
my feet, a pair.

-At least, I thought,
as in I sucked,
a glimpse I caught
past tummy, tucked.

©2022 Chel Owens

Photo by Kat Smith from Pexels

A follow-up, just for Willow, of “I Cannot See My Feet No More.“

Me reading it!

The Terrible Poetry Contest

Chel Owens28 Comments

Welcome, one and all, to the weekly Terrible Poetry Contest!

What in the heck is terrible poetry? You could ask half the internet or even half the published poets out there. You could look over the first explanation I ever gave, here. Or, you could sneeze into a hanky and add anachronistic adjectives.

Ready to roll?

  1. Topic: A sonnet about a period/historical romance. Sonnets are love poems. Period romances are love stories that take place in the past, and somehow still work even though the lovers lacked toothpaste.
  2. Length: A sonnet. You’ve fourteen lines of a specific rhyming pattern (see below) of three quatrains followed by a couplet. The sort of people who run terrible poetry contests are not sticklers for rules, however, so you can get away with one paragraph that might rhyme.
  3. Rhyming: Yes. The first and third lines of each quatrain are supposed to rhyme, plus the final couplet. Near-rhymes or too many rhymes are an easy way to terrible-ify a poem.
  4. Simply make it terrible! Send Shakespeare shivering. Wake Wordsworth! Kick Keats into Conniptions. Send your lover such awful endearments that he or she wonders if you’ve fallen off the balcony a few too many times.
  5. Rating: PG or cleaner. Inappropriate behavior didn’t exist in the past, after all!
From WikiHow

You have till 8:00 a.m. MST next Thursday (January 27) to submit a poem.

Use the form below if you want to be anonymous for a week.

For a more social experience, include your poem or a link to it in the comments. Please alert me if your pingback or poem does not show up within a day.

The winner gains bragging rights, a badge, and the option to choose the next week’s topic and type of poem.

From Pixabay

—–

©2022 Chel Owens

Neverending Lau-ahn-dreeee!

Chel Owens55 Comments

If there’s one thing I hate in life, it’s chocolate-covered raisins. Such deception!

A close second, however, is housework.

Dishes, tidying up, laundry, vacuuming, dusting, toilets, mirrors, counters, beds, shelves, drapes, dishes, windows, cooking, laundry, showers, mopping, dishes, and laundry -over and over in a neverending cycle!!

Growing up with chores, I knew my parents assigned them out of a sadistic sense of selfishness. When I’m older, I vowed, I am never doing jobs!

I haven’t quite checked that one off my bucket list.

I have learned which tasks I prefer over others. Like, loading a dishwasher or organizing a space instead of putting away clothes. And, I’ve talked with others who’ve told me their most- and least-favorite chores. An aunt says she hates vacuuming the floor but my sister loves it.

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Which leads to today’s obvious question: do you think chocolate-covered raisins are an abomination?

All right, all right. Do you have a household task you’re fond of? What about one you despise?

—————-

Voilà! The posts of the week we had:
Wednesday, January 12: “Ya Know What I Mean?,” wherein we discussed irritating idiosyncrasies.

Thursday, January 13: The love story of “Beatrice Box.“

Friday, January 14: “Foremost, Facts are Freeing” for Pensitivity’s Three Things Challenge.

Saturday, January 15: Friday Photo.

Sunday, January 16: Internet quote.

Monday, January 17: “I’m a Mormon, So I Don’t Drink Coffee.“

Tuesday, January 18: “To Be Readtinued,” in answer to D. Wallace Peach’s writing prompt.

Matt of A Prolific Potpourri has been doing audio performances of my Wilhelmina Winters series. He does them once a month for Short Story Saturday and they are excellent. Go listen!!

©2022 Chel Owens

I’m a Mormon, So…

Chel Owens74 Comments

For Mondays, I thought to alliteratively write about Mormonism. Technically, we Mormons are officially members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and are to drop any name but that. …That might work for Tuesdays…. Since many still run with the nickname of ‘Mormon,’ however, I will keep pace.

My other note is that I will keep to official doctrinal practices. I will add my own application of them, especially in response to comments.

My final note is that I LOVE discussing anything I write. Don’t be rude, obviously, but any and all queries or responses are welcome.

My final note beyond the final note is that I do not seek to convert anyone. I ought to, but am motivated by forming connections, answering curiosity, and straightening pictures. So, you’re safe.

…..

I’m a Mormon, so I do not drink coffee.

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In the Doctrine and Covenants, scriptures containing revelations given to Joseph Smith and a few prophets following him, we Latter-day Saints are given a list of healthy guidelines. They range from no alcoholic drinks to no tobacco to eating meat sparingly …to no coffee.

And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly.

D&C 89:9

‘Hot drinks?’ What about cocoa or wassail? you might wonder.

The only official interpretation of “hot drinks” (Doctrine and Covenants 89:9) in the Word of Wisdom is the statement made by early Church leaders that the term “hot drinks” means tea and coffee.

Members should not use any substance that contains illegal drugs. Nor should members use harmful or habit-forming substances except under the care of a competent physician.

Selected Church Policies and Guidelines, 21.3.11

Not drinking coffee or tea is the official rule for members of the LDS church. Herbal teas, cocoa, Ovaltine, apple cider, Postum, wassail, warm milk, and hot sodas are all fine (so long as they’re non-alcoholic).

Ahhh, GIPHY. A Classic.

I, personally, avoid cold coffees as well. I eat desserts which contain coffee, but rarely. I’m not fond of the the taste in general and have never wanted to take up drinking it. For one thing, I read that consuming a hot mug of joe every morning will not do much for you. One’s body acclimates to the level of alertness the caffeine provides, thus dumping the drinker’s brain to only a normal level once the drink is drunk.

I’m dragging along many days but it’s only M&Ms what fuel me.

©2022 Chel Owens