A Future for Tomorrow by Haley Hatch Freeman

I recently read A Future for Tomorrow by Haley Hatch Freeman. Haley is an amazing young woman who endured a horrific battle with anorexia nervosa. This book details her experience. At times, the story is intense and hard to read because of the emotional and physical turmoil Haley experienced during this physically-ravaging and mentally-deteriorating condition.

It’s a peek into the mind of a young woman absolutely obsessed with her weight and her distorted view of perfection. It’s frightening, at times, to read how completely this condition enveloped her. I found myself feeling overwhelmed by her account and was thrilled to read the conclusion of the story.



From the back cover:

A Future for Tomorrow is an extraordinary non-fiction account of the author’s actual battle against anorexia nervosa as well as a spiritual triumph against evil.

You will be brought into the anorexic mind, shown the fierce war against depression and self-depreciative thoughts and actions; and witness the gravity of the destruction this disease can do.

A deeply edifying experience will occur as you journey with the author to the eternal world. There, angels confirm to her gospel truths such as the intensity of Christ’s love, and the sacred and holy nature of our Father’s plan for his children here on earth.

Haley is a very spiritual young woman who has had some sacred experiences that she shares in this book. She is a living testimony of the power of love and faith. She’s sharing her story in an effort to prevent other young women from following in her footsteps. She tells a vivid and inspiring account of overcoming physical and spiritual roadblocks to find the true road to happiness.

You can purchase her book at her website http://www.afuturefortomorrow.com/, her blog http://www.afuturefortomorrow.blogspot.com/, or http://www.amazon.com/. /the copies from her website and blog are autographed.



Haley will be appearing on a local TV show on October 21st. Check her blog for more information.

You can also hear a radio interview with Haley at http://www.jackstockwell.com/.

If you're interested in having Haley speak to your group you can contact her through her website or blog.

My Letter to the Editor

In my ongoing attempt to make the world a better place, I wrote a letter to the editor of our local newspaper, The Durango Herald, about Colorado's Amendment 48 which defines life at conception. The owner of the newspaper is very pro-abortion and actively supports Planned Parenthood so I'm surprised the paper even printed my letter. A neighbor called to tell me he'd read it and wanted to tell me how glad he was I wrote it. Usually, someone calls to verify I wrote a letter, but that didn't happen this time so I didn't know it had been printed. Maybe my name is recognizable for submitting so many letter to the editor that they didn't feel like they needed to verify it. If they'd give me my own opinion column I wouldn't have to write so many letters to the editor :).

Here's the link if you'd like to read it. I wrote my it in response to a letter to the editor that claimed Amendment 48 discriminates against the poor. Thanks for your support!
http://www.durangoherald.com/sections/Opinion/letters_to_the_editor/2008/10/08/Womens_choice_is_before_conception/

Of One Heart: The Love Letters of Joseph and Emma by Angela Eschler

The extraordinary love story of Joseph and Emma Hale Smith is tenderly portrayed in a unique new Covenant release entitled, Of One Heart: The Love Letters of Joseph and Emma, by Angela Eschler.

As an editor at Covenant, Angela Eschler has long exercised her writing and editing talents to improve the works of other authors, including my own. In Of One Heart: The Love Letters of Joseph and Emma, Mrs. Eschler's first authored work, her exceptional writing skills and knowledge of the Prophet and Emma is evident. Punctuated by the emotional artwork of Liz Lemon Swindle, Eschler has carefully selected poignant excerpts from the Smith's private correspondence and wrapped them in beautifully crafted historical content and corroborating scripture.

The Love Letters of Joseph and Emma is divided into five concise chapters, each one correlating to a period in Joseph and Emma's marriage-- Love and Devotion, Sorrow and Separation, Consolation in Companionship, Faith in Adversity, Reunion and Peace. As a historical examination, Love Letters illuminates the great love that succored Joseph and Emma through the too frequent separations, the exquisite sorrows and the sweetness of the joys that defined their lives.

But there is much more here for the reader. From Mrs. Eschler's intimate Dedication, which is drawn from the example of Joseph's ministrations to Emma, to the triumphal promises of eternal reunion expressed in the closing scriptures from the Doctrine and Covenants, this book is a delicately crafted celebration of the power of marriage and love.

Counseled as we are to seek for "patterns" in our lives, Of One Heart: The Love Letters of Joseph and Emma, provides readers with a unique vantage point from which to observe the Smiths' enduring love. From the secret elopement to Joseph, to which Emma consented saying, "she preferred `to marry him more than anyone [else she] knew,'" through seventeen turbulent years, theirs was a marriage imbued with loyalty, tenderness and faith. Being perhaps the ultimate example of enduring love under fire, Joseph and Emma may therefore provide the ultimate pattern for building a strong marriage.

In Of One Heart: The Love Letters of Joseph and Emma, by combining the power of Angela Eschler's beautiful writing with samples from Liz Lemon Swindle's evocative portraits of the Smiths, Covenant has produced a work that reaches deep into the hearts of readers, personalizing the Prophet and Emma to a rising generation of Saints who may confidently draw upon their example of marital love and loyalty.

A Standard for Media Choices

The last part of the 13th Article of Faith reads, “ . . . If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.”

As we use our free agency to choose what we will view, read, or listen to we would do well to adhere to this standard to help us make appropriate choices. After all, what goes in, must come out. Whatever we fill our minds with, runs out our mouth.

Movies

When I was a young teen, the movie Saturday Night Fever came out. I was so excited to watch it because I loved dancing and I thought John Travolta was hot. My grandmother agreed to take me. The Sunday before we planned to see it, I can remember a statement from President Kimball that was read over the pulpit. The letter specifically counseled us to not view R-rated movies. I was sure President Kimball had written that letter specifically to me to prevent me from viewing Saturday Night Fever and I wasn’t very happy.

My grandmother and I went to see the movie anyway. I remember leaving the theater and feeling bad. My conscience was pricked because I’d deliberately disobeyed counsel that was meant to protect me from vulgarity and profane language. I learned a valuable lesson that day. I should always listen to the prophet and I should seek to fill my mind with that which is lovely and praiseworthy.

Since that time I've heard many argue the fact that an R-rating is arbitrary and we should view whatever movies we wish to. While I’m not going to dictate to others what they should and should not watch, I can only say that I’ve learned it’s important to fill my mind with good things, especially in an ever-increasingly evil world where obscenity is commonplace.

Books

My older kids have all been assigned questionable books to read in their English classes. With the abundance of good books to read, it’s always amazing to me that teachers will choose books with the worst kind of language and with inappropriate themes.

I do not advocate book burning, but rather a commitment to following the counsel in the 13h Article of Faith. If we apply this standard to whatever we read, whether it’s books, magazines, newspapers, or content on the internet, we will find our spirits lifted and our minds enhanced.

Music

I grew up with the Bee Gees and nothing motivates me to clean house more than turning on my disco music. I can remember adults, at the time, claiming that all disco music was evil. I admit, some of the lyrics were inappropriate, even trashy, but not all of the music was bad. As a teenager, I certainly wasn’t going to listen to hymns or classical music every day, but learning to apply the standard set forth in the 13th Article of Faith helped me to make better decisions about the music I listened to.

Joseph Smith taught, “I teach them correct principles and they govern themselves.” As we choose from all that is available to fill our minds, we should apply the standard set forth in the 13th Article of Faith and teach others to do so as well.

Return to the neighborhood.

And while you're there, subscribe to our fantastic newsletter. Welcome to the yourLDSneighborhood newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the LDS newsletter brings you LDS articles, LDS products, LDS services, LDS resources and LDS interviews from around the world—all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. LDS Newsletter Subscriptions are FREE, and joining is easy.

Review of Heaven Scent

Alison Palmer reviewed Heaven Scent. If you'd like to read what she wrote here's the link.

If you've read Heaven Scent and would like to post a review on Amazon or Deseret Book, I'd sure appreciate it.

Promotion certainly isn't as fun as writing, but it's all part of the publishing thing.

Today we have a soccer game, General Conference, a wedding, and my daughter will be going to another high school's homecoming dance with a young man from a nearby stake whose older brother was my son's mission companion (did I confuse you?). It should be quite a day.

Hope and Endurance

To continue with the 13th Article of Faith, “ . . . indeed we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things and hope to be able to endure all things . . .”

Hope is as crucial a part of the gospel as are faith and charity. “And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works” (Alma 7:24). Faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ, gives us hope. None of us will escape tragedy. No matter how faithfully we live our lives, we will still experience trials and tribulations. We cannot pick and choose our trials, only how we will react to them. It’s through our faith and hope that we can endure our trials

Imagine losing a loved one and having no hope of reuniting with him or her after this life. I know of two women who lost their husbands. One woman had hope of seeing her husband again. She continued to live her life, finding joy and serving the Lord. The other woman had no hope of ever seeing her husband again. She drifted aimlessly and succumbed to depression. After a few years, she died of a broken heart. Without hope of a life after death, it would be impossible to face losing those we love.
If we choose to endure our trials with faith and hope, we will receive all that the Father has.

“Wherefore, ye must press forward with steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life” (2nd Nephi 31:20).

This part of the 13th Article of Faith is especially poignant when we consider the environment in which the early saints lived. Amidst unbelievable persecution, the early saints still believed and still had hope. Joseph Smith, who first penned the Articles of Faith, endured many trials, beginning with the reaction to his sacred experience in the grove when God, the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ appeared to him. Joseph Smith was tarred, feathered, beaten, arrested on false charges, and finally murdered. He is a shining example of one who suffered so much, yet clung to hope, and never forsook his faith.

Of course, the ultimate example of suffering and endurance is the Savior. He was the Son of God. He did not have to suffer or endure anything, yet he chose to do so. He deserved respect and reverence, but received ridicule and scorn instead. People spit in his face, mocked his claim of divinity, and finally hung him on a cross. The Savior endured his trials with grace. He loved those that belittled him. He laid down his life for the very people that crucified him.

Having hope allows us to deal with our trials and endure to the end.

Return to the neighborhood.

And while you're there, subscribe to our fantastic newsletter. Welcome to the yourLDSneighborhood newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the LDS newsletter brings you LDS articles, LDS products, LDS services, LDS resources and LDS interviews from around the world—all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. LDS Newsletter Subscriptions are FREE, and joining is easy.

We've Come a Long Way, Baby

It’s amazing how technology has advanced in the last 25 years. When I was in high school, no one had a cell phone or a personal computer. We all had to use landlines to speak with our friends and we used typewriters for our research papers. Yes, gasp, we had to actually know how to type (or at least know how to use the correction tape properly).

I remember my grandpa’s old typewriter and how the “e” always looked like an “o.” When I received a sleek new manual typewriter as a gift, I was thrilled. I was even happier when I was able to purchase a snazzy electric typewriter with the correction tape already loaded—talk about up-to-the-date technology.

I can still remember the papery thin feel of the onionskin paper and the ding when I needed to return the carriage on my manual machine. I remember the clicking of the keys and the pinging as the metal letters hit against the page. I can still hear the soft clicking as I moved the roller to load the paper. Of course, I also remember the frustration of finding a typo or misspelling and trying desperately to correct it.

When I was finishing my senior year at BYU, my husband tried to convince me to use a computer. I refused. I wasn’t comfortable with a computer and couldn’t see how it was any easier than using a typewriter—silly me. After several months, he finally persuaded me to try a computer and when I saw the ease of the “delete” key, I was sold.

Technology has come a long way. True, it can be used irresponsibly, but it can also provide us with a wealth of information at our fingertips as well as connect us to people all over the world. When I first started writing, I had no groups, no connection to other writers. I had no one to ask questions. I knew nothing about publishing. I didn’t even know how to really find the needed information so I kind of bumbled around in the dark hoping to figure it all out.

Then, the internet hit and, boom, I could access information from my computer in my own home. It didn’t even matter that I lived in the middle of a hay field. I found groups. I was suddenly connected to the world.

Because of the new technology and the internet, authors can do what time, distance, and money prevented them from doing pre-internet. Authors can now take advantage of blogging to create a web presence, create websites, participate in blog book tours, join online groups like our newest ANWA group Cyber Scrybers, ask questions in forums, and promote books by simply attaching a link on all outgoing email. We can promote our work while sitting in our pajamas. How cool is that?

The newest tool to promote our work is now on a site called YouTube. A friend of mine, Marsha Ward, has created her own book trailer for The Man from Shenandoah. This is the future for authors to promote their books online. See what you think.



And to show you a little different approach, here is a YouTube by another friend, LDS author Jewel Adams promoting her fantasy novel, The Journey.



Even if technology seems difficult or foreign, it’s definitely in our best interest to embrace the new ways of communicating with our friends and with those who may want to read our books.

I’ll let you know if I ever fully embrace it and have a YouTube on Heaven Scent.