Sharman Hunter Wilson shared a link. Nov 22, 2013 9:12pm

This is my memory from the day John F. Kennedy was shot: Total Domination  | American Journalism Review ajr.org Behind the scenes in Dallas 50 years ago--great article. I was 10 years old and I can see three scenes in my mind: 1) the loudspeaker in the art room as it came on announcing that President Kennedy had been shot, 2) the radio on the school bus saying that the President was dead, and 3) getting off the bus, running down the hill of my front yard, then upstairs into the big hall where we kept the ironing board and pile of clothes waiting to be ironed, flinging myself onto the soft pile and sobbing my heart out.

Sharman Hunter Wilson shared a link. Dec 10, 2013 11:49am

Race and the Priesthood lds.org This statement on LDS.org is the most comprehensive so far in decrying rascism, especially in regards to the priesthood restriction policy (ended in 1978) practiced in the church for so many years. Mormon friends: please read and share so the pernicious folklore rationalizing that policy is finally relegated to the past, where it belongs. The harm done by these ideas has been incalculable to those in as well as outside the church, to non-blacks as well as blacks. God forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

February 28

Sharman Hunter Wilson shared Beauty Redefined's photo. Feb 28, 2014 11:32am

"Modest is Hottest" kind of defeats the whole purpose, doesn't it? If girls are supposed to dress modestly to keep guys from having "inappropriate thoughts" about them, then telling girls that modesty is "hot" is turning around and telling them that dressing modestly will make boys have inappropriate thoughts about them. In other words, boys will have inappropriate thoughts no matter how you dress. I kind of don't think that's the message they meant to convey.

Here's another Facebook post:

Sharman Hunter Wilson shared a link. Aug 07, 2014 2:45am

Mormon missionaries and the stigma of early return - Flunking Sainthood janariess.religionnews.com So much cultural and personal baggage regarding this issue! I hope the attention this has been getting lately will smooth the way for those who need to come home early. It is especially critical for those suffering from mental health issues. It's well known that many of these illnesses and disorders begin to show up in the late teens/early 20's; and that they are often triggered by stressful situations. Mission life is so radically different from anything young people have ever experienced, it can throw even the healthiest of them for a loop. For those predisposed to mental health challenges, it can pull the rug right out from under their feet and send them into a downward slide that can take years to recover from. The sooner they get help, the better, and if that means going home for treatment, so be it. I've seen up close and personal what can happen when someone feels obligated to "stick it out" instead of asking for timely help, and I've been slammed by the resultant landslide that has taken down with it so many of us who stood close by. Please remember, Mormon folks, (as I switch metaphors) that we're all in this boat together, and we need to toss this heavy baggage off to keep us afloat!

I'm experimenting with putting some Facebook posts of mine up on my blog. Here's one from 2014 where I comment on an Exponent article.

Sharman Hunter Wilson shared a link. Aug 09, 2014 2:41pm

I Hope You Stay the-exponent.com I know my capacity for empathy is limited by my own experiences (and lack thereof). I, like Melody, have so many reasons for hoping people stay, but I am also painfully aware of my capacity to pour salt on the wounds of the deeply wounded by expressing that hope. It's a conundrum of the highest level because when we love something, we want to share it with those we love. The fact that sometimes our own life-saving elixir could be poison to someone else is more than most of us can comprehend or even bear. I wonder if thinking of it in terms of something like food allergies might help. I love shrimp, peanut butter, and strawberries, and they are good and wholesome for my body, but would I offer them to someone deathly allergic, hoping they would eat them with as much gusto as I do? People sometimes get over allergies, but perhaps I'm showing my insensitivity and bias by thinking that would be a good thing. So much for metaphors. The more I try to understand anything, it seems, the more I realize that I see through a glass darkly, and the more I long to see as God sees and love as God loves.

Brent and I volunteered to be a part of the W.I.S.E. program at Louisville Elementary School. All four of the 4th grade classes were involved, and each child was paired up with a local Senior citizen. We aren't 65, but 61 is close enough. My partner was named Samantha, and she was a budding artist. We passed a journal back and forth and chatted, wrote poems, played games, wrote little stories, etc. together (she drew a lot of pictures, too). We filled in a timeline of our lives. The biggest part of the project was the life story interview questions us old folks were asked to answer, and which the kids used to write a short biography of their partner. All this took place over a number of weeks. On Tuesday night, the teachers, parents, and kids gave us W.I.S.E. partners a dinner and the kids performed a little talent show. It was great to finally meet each other in person! The children presented their partners with the biographies they had written about us. It was fun! I spent a lot of time responding to the questions about my life, and so I figured I might as well post them!

Here are the three responses I wrote.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

This is the closest thing to a personal history I've done in awhile.

Baby Lev, my baby Lev, I love my Lev, oh how I love my Lev...

I haven't seen my grandson in Salt Lake since the beginning of August, and it's killing me! Definitely suffering from withdrawal. I'm hoping to go out early November to help Shea when Paul is gone for a conference. Meanwhile, I'll just have to keep playing this video.