My Sleeve Where It Should Be

When you are part of a religious community, like The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, there is great comfort in the support that members provide each other.   The church does a great job taking care of those who fit into their box but often falls short with those that do not easily fit into a certain expectation.   We often do not do so well when someone's life or choices fall outside of the bubble we call "standards." Those who are LGBTQIA+ or those who have deep questions about their faith are just two of these groups who may feel like they are strangers in an otherwise healthy fellowship.   In the household of faith there are to be no strangers, no foreigners, no rich and poor, no outside "others." As "fellowcitizens with the saints," we are invited to change the world for the better, from the inside out, one person, one family, one neighborhood at a time. - Elder Gerrit W. Gong   The word stranger comes from the Latin word extra

Today is National Hugging Day. I usually would not call attention to this day. First, I only read about its existence this morning, and second, I am not a fan of hugging. But even I will admit there are times where hugging is essential to our emotional, spiritual, and mental health. I learned to appreciate some hugs during my missionary service for my church. The first day in the mission field was exciting and awful all at the same time. I spent twenty plus hours on planes or layovers traveling from Salt Lake City to Perth, Australia, and was already feeling the pains of separation anxiety from my family. It was a blazing hot day, which I knew would be foreshadowing my tenure in Australia. My two traveling companions and I were greeted at the airport by our Mission President and his wife. President and Sister Jones, our assigned mission leaders, were so excited to see us and get to know us; it was overwhelming talking to them. The three of us were swept away to the mission home a