About a year ago, I remember learning in seminary about a man named David W. Patten. In 1838 the Lord called him on a mission, as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants section 114. The Lord asked him to settle his business and prepare many other things so that he would be ready to do so. Brother Patten was obedient to the call of the Lord—however, within the same year, he was killed in battle and was never able to serve a mission.

Early in my career as a psychologist, I worked with a client who suffered from depression. Knowing that depression is primarily fueled by inaccurate, negative thoughts, I set out to help him change his thinking. Each week he would come in with a very pessimistic view of life. I’d tell him to try to focus on the positive. One particular time, he responded by providing a long list of negatives in the world, including widespread poverty, school shootings, dread health crises, pollution, domestic violence, hatred, ethnic genocide, social inequality, etc. He said, “How can I focus on the positive when there is so much negative all around us?” His answer gave me pause. I didn’t know how to respond. Was he actually correct? Were my attempts to get him to “think positive” simply a naïve overlooking of all the drama, death, and injustice that seem to plague the world every day?

This past year has been full of the unexpected. Between the coronavirus, natural disasters, and societal issues, 2020 may not have been what we all expected when it brought in the new decade. But there have been beautiful moments too. Despite feelings of division, many people have come together to express gratitude for the blessings God has given them. Others have come to the rescue for those in need, whether physically or spiritually. And society as a whole has adjusted to new circumstances and situations despite moments of fear and uncertainty.

“This parable makes a lot more sense when it’s about chickens,” I told Greg. “Now let’s put it back into the words of Jesus.”

"If you think the Church has been fully restored, you're just seeing the beginning," President Russell M. Nelson said during his South American tour this year. This past year has demonstrated our Church is a living church—one that is continually evolving to help bring us closer to the Savior. And this is just the beginning. "Wait till next year, and then the next year," President Nelson said. "Eat your vitamin pills. Get some rest. It's going to be exciting."

This winter, one of our favorite reads comes to us from noted LDS figure Sheri Dew: Women and the Priesthood. Her book was so good, we simply had to share it with some of our friends. (You might know them, too: Emily Freeman, Fiona Givens, Brad Wilcox, and lots of our favorite LDS writers.) We asked each one to check out a chapter of this amazing book and write us back with their thoughts. And so straight from their pens to your eyes, we bring you their reflective and sincere responses:

Despite the fact that I’ve spent several years reading and writing about motherhood, I still have a lot of bad mom days. I have acted and spoken in ways that do not make me proud. I apologize and try to do better, but still. Some moms hate Mother’s Day because they feel like it’s a reminder of everything they’re supposed to be and they simply don’t measure up. I’ve always been one to brush off the self-loathing and embrace the attention and the chocolate, but this year, with the months leading up to Mother’s Day being among the busiest in my life, I can empathize. I don’t see glowing examples in my recent mothering that are worthy of celebration.

Everywhere he goes, people assume Thurl Bailey played some ball. And their assumptions are correct—Bailey, 7 feet tall, had a long and successful career as a professional basketball player, and now he's an analyst for the Utah Jazz.

“Where were you on 9/11?”

In the September 1995 Ensign, President James E. Faust wrote: