I have a folder titled “Final plans & letters.” It includes my wishes for funeral and burial plans, information for my obit...
Parents who feel truly at ease with the whole picture of their parenting performance are rare. Many parents wonder what we migh...
What does that mean, really, to forgive? What is the process I must follow in order to make the words “I forgive you” come ...
What are the internal “weapons of war” that I can and should bury? What “weapons” do I use when I create contention ins...
Have you wondered like I have, why we, in Christ’s church usually do very little to celebrate this joyous season? I’ve conc...
If pastoral Ethiopian women can envision change and rise up from the bonds of poverty, can't we see our futures differently and...
Have you ever felt helpless in the face of loved one’s choices? Are you watching them walk closer and closer to the edge of a...
After children grow and leave home we get used to the peace and quiet. Grandkids can be a shock to the senses! But what a joy t...
It isn't easy to discard the treasures of years of living. If you find it difficult, or even impossible, to let go of certain t...
Why does it take so much courage to let go of the clutter in our lives? Here are seven reasons to simplify!...
My physical therapist asked “Why do you think that having less pain, more energy, and more functional hours will solve so man...
Had I stood on the threshold of 2012 and been shown what I would have to deal with, it would have been supremely difficult to m...
It strikes me as one of life’s great ironies that having been taught the true doctrine of Chris that I should ever choose to ...
A review of the new book, Kory, a mother’s beautiful and insightful look at life beyond the veil for her deceased son. ...
If we are not mindful, the great blessings of our lives can be eclipsed by myths and thought distortions and a focus on negativ...
We hear a lot about how to express ourselves clearly and effectively, but not much about how to listen. Yet to listen well is a...
In the midst of a contentious election season when differing issues and opinions so easily divide us, unity can begin to sound ...
Autumn is too modest. It should announce itself far and wide, trumpeting the truth that, “This season will be brought to you ...
Serious causes for stress are escalating. We all need a strong support network, tools to work with, and increased spiritual str...
Anger and resentment flowing from wells of un-forgiveness are opposite from feelings that flow from Christ’s well of Living W...
Whose plan was it, after all, to control people and make sure they didn’t make any wrong choices? Is this your parenting appr...
Mark Twain once said, “It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't s...
Last Days’ calamities are no longer just printed words of prophecy from scripture. We see them in screaming newspaper headlin...
Every day, in every relationship, including our relationship with ourselves, we make an important decision. We may not make it ...
I look for reasons NOT to complain. Complaining is such a futile activity! I admit I haven’t managed to quit complaining “c...
I am not one whose depression is strictly physical. I am one of the many who find physical solutions only part of the puzzle. I...
God gives us the faculties by which we are able to bear what comes to pass without being crushed. Why then do we sit and moan a...
Do you have a desire to connect generations--place yourself and your current family in context with your ancestors?...
“If onlys” indicate a reluctance to truly believe the scope and depth and breadth of Jesus’ power to make all things righ...
What kind of “second chance” can we hope to get on the other side?...
A new book out this Christmas tells about the “other guy” in A Christmas Carol, who looks for all the world like he’s doo...
True giving of self has no strings attached....
Expressing thanks for all that makes my life pleasant or comfortable, or for what I appreciate is living only the preparatory l...
How can we help teenagers protect themselves in a world where pornography is so aggressive and invasive?...
Do we experience worldly or godly sorrow?...
We cannot underestimate how dependent we are on spiritual help to get us through life....
Of all the things we want to teach children, solid valued that result in solid character is right near the top. But how can you...
How can we be spiritually whole in a world that calls out with hundreds of priorities and options for every moment of our time?...
What a noisy world we live in! The outside noise too often translates into having noisy minds...
The minute we determine to travel the path of spiritual progress, we are likely to find barricades, detours, or the very entran...
A friend of mine said, “Sometimes I seem stuck and don’t know what to do. I frequently ask the Lord, ‘Am I asking the rig...
If you divorce, you may feel adrift from all the forever family ideals you grown up with. What to do now?...
There it was again, the familiar haunting voice in my mind: “You’re not doing enough. You’ve got to do more . . . more . ...
No one wants to be stopped in their tracks with illness or accident, but amazing things can happen if you are....
For decades now Dads have been getting a bum rap in the media. How many TV shows, movies, and even comic strips (think Dagwood)...
So much of life is about losing our natural man habits....
Ideals are stars to steer by, not sticks to beat ourselves with. A blended family is a challenge that can become a blessing. ...
“Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? Or thirsty, and gave thee drink?´ Mothers can answer, “Every day.”...
These days leading up to Easter can be a time of focusing our heart on the Savior and his sacrifice....
If I were the adversary with all his centuries of practice at tempting and deceiving, I suspect I would choose as a primary pur...
What are the things your soul longs for?...
The book of Alma offers mothers powerful motivation to make certain their children know their deepest beliefs. ...
Spiritual and emotional wounds from the past are rarely visible, but contribute in a major way to problems in the present....
Jesus is called the Savior because he has the power to save us. Which voices will you choose to heed in the moment-by-moment b...
Jesus is called the Savior because he has the power to save us. Which voices will you choose to heed in the moment-by-moment b...
Debbie Bake writes: “In the beginning, from my outward appearance, few people knew that I struggled with depression—not eve...
What are the major contributing factors that cause depression and how can we learn healthy ways to process our pain?...
In our efforts to build and improve marital relationships, Darla Isackson suggests that perhaps the single most important quest...
Divorce can often create a polarizing affect on family members. It is so easy to point the finger of blame and seek recruits fo...
We can read a lot about the love of Christ and still not know Christ....
It is so easy to fall into a sense of shame that we can’t do more, work longer hours, serve more people. ...
Personal need is what finally teaches us what Christmas is all about....
Children are meant to be loved and enjoyed. They can be lots of fun; but when we see discipline as drudgery, when we nag or yel...
As hard as it may be to do, parents need to honor their children's right to choose. Sometimes the actions they choose will be w...
If respect is the golden thread running through our Heavenly Father's parental example, how can we apply it in our dealings wit...
It’s possible to slow down and get more done....
When my mother was a widow after 57 years of marriage, she said, “I'm anxious to see your dad again. I hope I have the chance...
What do we know about the spirit world and when is our time of probation over?...
...
The voice in your head that is busy interpreting your experience may not be a trustworthy one....
In 2009, Meridian Publishing released Darla Isackson’s Trust God No Matter What! We want to share some of the responses we’...
Are our lives really wasted if we aren't cut out to be "worker bees"? Darla Isackson explores the "performance equals worth" m...
Nicholeen and Spencer Peck have been featured in a BBC television show called The World’s Strictest Parents—and their calm,...
What I previously wanted, without realizing it, was either a Garden of Eden experience for my children—where everything was b...
Because the Lord has us covered, we can dwell in safety and be quiet from fear of evil....
The truth is that part of our growth is acceptance of reality....
We all want to create a learning climate in our homes that makes learning fun and encourages children to exercise their natural...
Fear vs faith may be the primary test for every human being....
Most of us feel that whatever it takes to open our hearts to Christ is worth it....
Shouldn't we be educating our children to become great individuals, rather than to help them pass standardized tests? A new se...
Running from our grief, ignoring it or stuffing it does not serve us. It may make us sick. A mother of a son, lost to suicide...
Gone is the myth that only Mary Poppins-type people whose lives have been "practically perfect in every way" are able to speak ...
The needs of the person whose life is controlled by a compulsive-addictive behavior are obvious. Less obvious are the spiritual...
The liberating truth is we can help the way we feel because our feelings are literally a consequence of the content of our chos...
Anyone who loves a good missionary story will recognize right away that these exciting and inspirational tales shared by season...
Motivation sometimes seems to be one of life's most subtle secrets. While most women agree that company is the best motivation ...
I ran across my missionary journals the other day and felt drawn to them and was surprised and delighted to discover that the p...
My life is very monotonous,? the fox said, ?I am a little bored. But if you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on ...
I woke with high hopes for some sunshine, but by noon it was snowing. Whenever snow bends our bright moments it has a tendency ...
What if Enos was like so many of us who serve missions, stay active in the Church all our lives, even get called to leadership ...
Who among us has not had moments when our prayers sounded more like "Why me?" than, "Thy will be done"?...
Get it fixed in your mind that the planting that determined the genius of America was a church - not a town, not a trading or e...
It is hard for a dad to righteously lead a family he rarely sees, and it is hard for him to feel his value in a society that no...
In the moment that Mary knew she was actually going to give birth in an unsanitary, uncomfortable place -a place not inherently...
For every loss a gain, for every stage of mothering there are challenges and joys, agonies and ecstasies. And for every sunset ...
When the Spirit seems distant, what can you do to feel it again?...
Sometimes, day after day, you just don't feel the Spirit. What do you do to feel better?...
Sunshiny days don't last indefinitely. Storms come, night descends, and dark clouds of trial or tragedy may obscure my view. Bu...
It is relatively easy for others to see when we need physical help. However, emotional needs and spiritual starvation are far l...
So what do I need with resolutions? How many of my former lists of New Year's resolutions have resulted in discouragement with ...
The presence of the Spirit all those difficult days transformed them into mountaintop experiences for me. I learned each time t...
Trials of faith are a weeding out process; the Kingdom of God on earth must be comprised only of the pure in heart who have suf...
The issue of same-sex marriage ... is a vital part of the adversary's all-out war on the traditional family unit that was organ...
The Book of Mormon offers one of the most powerful examples of mothers' teachings and the impact they have on their children....
Easter holds two great promises for us; the promise of Resurrection and the gift of the Atonement....
Zion is a goal in every Latter-day Saint heart. Are we any closer to becoming a Zion people?...
Is it really reasonable to expect us all to work on family history with our incredibly busy lives? It can be easier and more re...
How does one prepare his or her heart to be open for the Spirit's guidance? What is the process for accomplishing such a seemin...
Choosing to change is one of our God-given rights and blessings. But have you consulted the Lord in your plans for this new yea...
It was the un-merry Christmas season of 1964 and the fourth not-so-fleeting month on her German mission. As Christmas approache...
Christmas is a perfect time to choose the "one thing that is needful"; a time to focus on the Savior....
The higher law of gratitude is a commandment for today, challenging in its implementation, but replete with spiritual blessings...
A normal day! It is a jewel! In time of war, in peril of death, people have dug their hands into the earth and remembered this....
Trying to fulfill the commandment to 'be perfect' can prove a real stumbling block for those who don't understand what it means...
It may sound like an easy enough thing to do, but the art of listening and listening well is a rare talent indeed. Yet, should ...
Life is stormy for all of us in these winding up scenes of the Last Days. How do we develop real faith in the midst of life's s...
This Mother?s Day season I?ve decided to do something novel: celebrate the things I did right....
Last Easter was a soul-searching time for me. I learned from reading over my journal entry I wrote on that day. May I share it ...
Trauma enters many of our lives. Sometimes it is dramatic like the Alta View hostage incident described here; sometimes it is i...
Only if they've been moved to Salt Lake City, Utah and they are about excellence in music of an entirely different sort....
If you don't think a book about apron springs, or about the ties between mothers and daughters, applies to you, think again. Th...
Anyone who loves a good missionary story will recognize right away that these exciting and inspirational tales shared by season...
Gone is the myth that only Mary Poppins-type people whose lives have been "practically perfect in every way" are able to speak ...
Prescription drug addiction is more common than we would guess. Because it often involves intelligent, responsible, religious w...
Some parents solve their children's education needs by having them in public school part-time. Readers share their experiences....
What are charter schools and why are so many parents excited about them?...
Should you home school your child? Become the PTA President and be involved at the public school? Should you look for a private...
You can make a positive impact on your child's education, but you have to take some important steps....
In order to truly see what the Lord would have us do in regard to the education of our children, we must first understand why e...
Early Church prophets warned Latter-day Saints about having a Godless, secular education, but the schools established by the ch...
LDS parents are rightly alarmed about the quality of education our children are receiving in public schools. How did the early ...
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow or what a policeman does for the community. Mothers and other i...
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow or what a policeman does for the community. Mothers and other i...
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow or what a policeman does for the community. Mothers and other i...
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow or what a policeman does for the community. Mothers and other i...
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow or what a policeman does for the community. Mothers and other i...
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow or what a policeman does for the community. Mothers and other i...
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow or what a policeman does for the community. Mothers and other i...
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow or what a policeman does for the community. Mothers and other i...
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow or what a policeman does for the community. Mothers and other i...
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow or what a policeman does for the community. Mothers and other i...
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow or what a policeman does for the community. Mothers and other i...
Have the public schools become less supportive of the values we cherish? No doubt....
Have the public schools become less supportive of the values we cherish? No doubt....
Have the public schools become less supportive of the values we cherish? No doubt....
Have the public schools become less supportive of the values we cherish? No doubt....
Have the public schools become less supportive of the values we cherish? No doubt....
Have the public schools become less supportive of the values we cherish? No doubt....
Have the public schools become less supportive of the values we cherish? No doubt....
Have the public schools become less supportive of the values we cherish? No doubt....
Have the public schools become less supportive of the values we cherish? No doubt....
Have the public schools become less supportive of the values we cherish? No doubt....
Have the public schools become less supportive of the values we cherish? No doubt....
Have the public schools become less supportive of the values we cherish? No doubt....
I don't believe Latter-day Saints can continue to send their children to schools that teach false doctrines and not put them in...
I approach the subject of divorce with great trepidation. Nothing has caused me greater distress, yet given me so many opportun...
Many ask, why hasn't the Lord answered my heart-felt prayers to bring my children back into the Church?...
Being a lover of words, it intrigues me that Jesus, whose birth we celebrate this month, is called "the Word."...
For centuries, women had a tiny palette of colors to choose from, a limited number of options open to them. I was shocked when ...
Are Parents Liars When They Talk and Don't Act?...
Seven safeguards to help your Teenagers do the right thing...
Seeing the hand of God in all seasons helps us understand the Gospel more fully. Come explore the implications of Autumn on our...
Even though we had no control over the outward actions of others, we can choose our inner response to their actions....
How can I get control of my life, my child, this current situation?...
The quiet but powerful voice of the Comforter spoke peace: my children would be okay. As I drove home alone, the storm became a...
We strengthened our entire extended family by celebrating the memory of our parents on their 100th birthday....
Some people feel that doing family history is one more thing in a hectic life that they can't fit in....
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Family history can be more digestible than you think....
Now is the time to blow the dust off your good intentions and start writing family histories instead of just thinking about it....
Most of us have already been impacted by the world financial crash-and may be impacted in the future to a much more serious deg...
Resentment is a poison, a joy-zapper, an energy drainer, a bitterness that takes sweetness and love out of the heart. But if y...
I'm convinced that the desert of Iraq is not the battleground where the Lord would have me focus my energies and my concerns. W...
At his 80th birthday party, beloved teacher Ivan Barrett made quite an announcement. He said that the work of a reputable resea...
If I were the adversary with all his centuries of practice at tempting and deceiving, I would surely have learned what works be...
A reader shares her thoughts about the article, Children and the "Title of Liberty"....
"It is important that we should understand the reasons and causes of our exposure to the vicissitudes of life and of death, and...
One of the biggest traps, that mothers of grown children particularly seem to fall into, is the idea that we somehow should hav...
I've thrown away most of my parenting theories, but I am sure about two principles....
by Darla Isackson...
Feeling fragmented is a common experience in modern society-but perilous because it is symptomatic of spiritual sickness, even ...
Much like a road construction project, our lives often must be torn up before they can be improved, widened, made more servicea...
God never makes mistakes or errors in judgement, never betrays, abandons, or lets us down. So why do we often find ourselves st...
"O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever." (2 Nephi 4:34)...
Recently I was feeling lost, alone, far from home?for no good reason. Everything is really okay in my life. However, feeling lo...
If you don't think a book about apron springs, or about the ties between mothers and daughters, applies to you, think again. Th...
With world conditions being downright scary, the words of the prophets at the coming General Conference can give us hope. ...
Elder Neal Maxwell said, ? If, indeed, the things allotted to each were divinely customized according to our ability and capaci...
There are many other books more entertaining, more diverting, and more fun to read if you want to stay in your head. If you wa...
Have you ever been tempted to honestly tell someone exactly how you feel? ?Tempted? is the right word in that sentence. ...
Like all commandments, the commandment to "thank the Lord in all things" is for our good, for our well-being and comfort. When ...
Immersing ourselves in the scriptures and conference talks-so easily available-won't solve all our problems. But it is the best...
Can we trust God in all the turmoil we are seeing in the world today? He is in charge. God is who he says he is and can do what...
All the elements obey; all God's creatures obey. Only man is disobedient; only man is capable of feeling like nothing....
Too often we fail to recognize the Lord's intervention and His tender mercies?which are always exactly what we need whether we ...
No trial goes on forever. The oft-quoted scripture, "And it came to pass," is literal. Nothing here comes to stay....
How can God sit up there with His huge capacity for loving His billions of children, and not be miserable knowing what a mess m...
The minute I begin feeling unloving or critical toward someone who is unloving or critical, I am no longer on the Lord's turf. ...
Anger is part of being human. Denying the emotion causes more problems than admitting it. Fortunately, there are healthy ways t...
In December and throughout the year, we need to remind ourselves that our presence is much more valuable than any other gift we...
Both fasting and prayer are not to change God's mind, but to change our hearts. They are not to change God's will, but to put o...
Most human beings are on a quest to understand who they really are. Since we can't remember, we yearn for clues. Patriarchal bl...
One clear morning at Haun's Mill, the children were happily playing, not knowing what was about to happen because their parents...
A well-meaning stake missionary watches the trials a family goes through and reminds herself that agency rules - even in instan...
Missionaries to the inner city teach church members who come from villages whose names we can't pronounce, and who speak langua...
It's been proved by a reputable research team that those who have the most birthdays live the longest! The second half can be t...
If Mother's Day brought pain to you, there is another way to look at the annual commemoration. Next year, think of Mother's Day...
There is no limit to God's power in our lives - except as we limit Him by our doubt and unbelief. Only as we believe and trust ...
What an amazing concept that I am invited to have Him right beside me - He who never tires, never needs sleep, always knows wha...
"What difference does it make?" is a good conflict-defusing question to ask ourselves any time we disagree. The only difference...
Being "right" about something is an empty victory indeed if a relationship is strained because of it. It take a generosity of s...
All of us suffer losses. Sometimes those losses are great ones. It's how we react to the losses that determines who we are, and...
When there are a thousand options you can choose or not-choose, how can you ever decide which cell phone (or which car, or whic...
In your quest to de-clutter your life, don't throw out the treasures with the trash. There's a way to tell the difference....
If the Lord is my Shepherd I won't want what I can't have and what He is not willing to give me. What are some of the "can'ts" ...
How ironic that we spend so many of our December hours following traditions that lead us to celebrate the birthday of the Princ...
The eternal family is not a mommy and a daddy and a few little children who live together forever, but a multitude of loving, c...
What a comforting, wondrous thing to realize that each time we feel the Spirit we are receiving a personal love letter from the...
In times of sorrow, the ability to feel, and even to grieve, is a gift....
Money could never buy such a sacred possession as the recorded influence of the Lord in your life. Nothing else you could give ...
Your descendants can never read your life story if you haven't written it. Your family's story is not likely to make it to the ...
Here are some practical solutions to the dilemma of organizing a picture history of yourself or your ancestors. Best of all, yo...
Joseph Smith laughed and played and condoned many forms of recreation among the Saints. He said a bow that is always strung tig...
It's hard to do your genealogy if everything is in stacks of pictures and papers. Here are some ideas for helping you turn mess...
We face natural disasters, whirlwinds of evil, wars and rumors of wars and trials of the spirit and soul of every sort. Can we ...
Today's children are following the example of many adults to become watchers instead of doers, observers instead of active part...
The more we learn of Heavenly Father and experience His infinite love, the easier it is to trust Him, obey Him, submit our live...
In so many ways our mothers are always with us. We "caught " their values, their mannerisms, their way of expressing things. Mo...
Slowing down can be the most essential thing we can do to maintain our health and sanity. How do we do it, when there are so ma...
What kind of progress is possible in that in-between place between death and the resurrection? Our First Estate ended when we l...
Is your sense of identity intact? When poor health strips away the ability to do, an identity crisis almost always follows....
Have you or anyone close to you has adopted a child, given a baby up for adoption, or been foster parents? If so, you will rela...
Does God really want us to learn the lessons we learn from being chronically ill, or would he be just as happy to see us health...
Most people truly don't want and can't handle the details of how you are — even though they ask, "How are you?" The best ans...
Reader Comments compiled by Darla Isackson...
In many ways chronic illness has provided grains of discomfort that have evolved into pearls of faith and spiritual lessons lea...
Loud noises affect more than physical hearing. We can also be inflicted with spiritual hearing loss. I suspect that it takes fa...
This Christmas may we all review the covenants we have made with Christ and think about the fact that the best way we can keep ...
Celebrating Christmas at winter solstice is beautifully symbolic because Christ is the Light. When we choose a connection to Hi...
Can we apply Elder Holland's counsel on beauty to behavioral perfectionism? Can we let go of the fictional standard of being ex...
There is one thing we each have in common - if the losses we endure do not make us better, more compassionate people, then the ...
This year as I'm making my list and checking it twice, I'm considering the many possible gifts that could raise the level of pr...
Grieving is a universal experience that no mortal can long avoid. How we respond to that grief is one of life's great tests - a...
Too often we bask in our comfortable complacency and rationalize that the ravages of war, economic disaster, famine, and earthq...
I know the Lord ... will help me fight my inner battles. He will make up the difference between what I lack and what is require...
"There's a myth that suggests that people who take their lives have committed an unpardonable sin. I'm here to tell you today t...
What can you learn about God and his comfort in the very worst of times?...
Why does the Lord require the sacrifice of a broken heart? Why would He want us to wade through sorrow in this life?...
Comparing ourselves to others is detrimental to our well-being and a sign of pride. The Savior offers a way out of this harmful...
Darla introduces us to He Did Deliver Me from Bondage, a powerful guide for serious seekers....
"I Guess I Came to Feel the Same Way about God as I Felt About My Father"...
How different my prayers are when I can feel His nearness and His love, when I am trusting Him completely, seeking His will bec...
As members of Christ’s church, we are a service-oriented group, and that is as it should be. Christlike service strengthens t...
As members of Christ’s church, we are a service-oriented group, and that is as it should be. Christlike service strengthens t...
With Christmas behind us, we may be faced with a new dilemma: how to make room for new “things” when our closets and cupboa...
