Katelyn, a co-author of this blog, is currently serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She recently wrote this beautiful statement of gratitude and I wanted to share it here. This message is central to the purpose of our blog. God really does love us! Where was I one year… Continue reading Thank you, Father, for 2020

Wilhelmsen family photo--taken in August 2020. From left to right: Brandon, Amanda (Galina), Josh (Dmitri), Brian, Emma, Cathy, Katelyn, Zach, and Ethan. Out of respect for the privacy of my adopted children, we rarely publicly discuss our adoption story. This is personal to us and especially to them. However, we all feel strongly that our… Continue reading Do You Believe in Miracles? Our Adoption Story

Are you seeing what I am seeing? Are you sickened and deeply concerned about the world around us? The nation and even the entire world seems to be fully engaged in a war of words and ideas. This war is an old war, but for us it feels new and terrifying, and it is right… Continue reading Why I Believe We Don’t See Eye to Eye and Why There Is Hope

Ethan is using his mask as part of his "ninja" costume. This boy's activity and imagination will not be slowed down by a pandemic! In just a matter of a few days, our lives were turned upside down. The world was forced into a new way of doing things because of the threat of a… Continue reading Making the Most of the Pandemic

I never thought I would be a homeschool mom. When my oldest two kids were small, I looked forward to the day when they would be in school and I would have time to run errands, work on projects, or just take a shower without being interrupted. Little did I know that God had other… Continue reading 5 Reasons Why We Choose to Homeschool

It’s really hard for a perfectionist to have a blog. I should know; I’m a recovering perfectionist. I’ve also started fourteen blogs since 2009. It’s hard to write two articles a week for a blog and make sure they meet the standard we want them to meet -- that they are “virtuous, lovely, of good… Continue reading Would You Rather Be Perfect or Never Play?

I have been stunned and sickened by the events of the last few days. I have watched, along with millions of troubled fellow citizens, the rioting, lawlessness, violence, and destruction seen throughout our nation. Racial prejudice, class division, and corruption in high places have been topics which have weighed heavily on my mind. I have… Continue reading Awakened to a Remembrance of Our Duty

In my personal study of the scriptures, I've often pondered why my soul sometimes feels so empty. I often wonder why I sometimes feel so unchanged, even after years of diligent effort to offer God my broken heart and contrite spirit. I found in the scriptures the story of someone who is a lot like… Continue reading Come, and Do Thou Likewise

Recently, I was talking with a young woman whom I mentor. She confided in me about a deep concern she has about marriage and family. She looks forward to being a wife and a mother, but realizes that her life will change very drastically when she gets married and has kids. She recognized that when… Continue reading To the Next Generation of Mothers

It was a really hard day. A stuck-in-the-mud day. We had been quarantining for seven weeks. It had all started so suddenly -- on a Monday, I had heard that coronavirus was in Provo, and by Sunday, I had traveled 650 miles by car from Utah to Arizona. My university had recommended that any students… Continue reading This Changed My Mindset On Mental Health