Mothering

by Cheryl Merrick


Knowing that mothering
is more than just giving birth,
but an expression of the heart,
She reaches out
to teach youth at school
and in the Church
to invite neighborhood children
to share her cookie jar and talk,
to guide young student teachers,
and to nurture her sister’s children
during the summers;
Til one day she is called to the General Young Women’s Presidency,
and proudly declares,
“My daughters!”





My memories of Sister Ardeth Kapp who was never able to bear or adopt children of her own. She was my student teaching supervisor in 1971 in Bountiful Utah. Later she became the 9th General President of the Young Women organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Why I became a Mormon

by Cheryl Merrick

When I was eighteen and living close to Berkeley, California, I was looking for some teachings to guide my life. I wanted a happier life than I'd seen in my family.  I looked into all sorts of religions, even Far Eastern.  Nothing felt right and many of the things they said didn't seem just; such as if you were a little bit better you went to heaven or a little bit worse and you went to hell. About this time I met a nice girl in a high school summer class, and we became friends. I was very impressed with the love I saw in her family. I had never seen anything like it before. I began to ask her questions, and she suggested I talk to some missionaries. As I read the Book of Mormon, so many questions I had were answered. Ideas just rang true. They felt like things I had always known, but had forgotten. Finally, two years and many, many questions later (I  had to be sure for I knew this was the biggest decision I would make in my life), I finally joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My parents weren’t very happy with my decision, but I was.  Through the years, these true principles have helped me to build a happy marriage and a strong family, and to see my health problems as opportunities to grow. I have never regretted my decision one moment.

Why I started this Blog

by Cheryl Merrick

I woke up one morning a couple of days ago and it just sounded like a good idea. Actually, I love to write and have been writing stories about my life for years. A few have even been published! I just had a short experience from my college days appear in the Ensign magazine (a world-wide publication of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and decided it was time to share my experiences as a LDS woman (Mormon), a wife, mother of four, grandmother of three, and a person who copes with Addison’s disease.