Anne Maxson

What I learned from Captain America and the scriptures about how we are never really alone even when we feel like it

By Anne Maxson

June 03, 2021 12:00 PM MDT

Years ago, we were trying to help one of our kids get to sleep when he was sick. After many attempts to get him to fall asleep by cuddling with him, we realized he would be better off if we just let him sleep on his own. With us there, our two-year-old would either enjoy the one-on-one attention or would wake up anytime we moved our cramping arms. Our interventions were actually distractions preventing him from getting the sleep he needed. However, he was not at all happy when we put him in his crib and walked away. I am certain, he was thinking, “Dudes! I don’t feel good! Why is no one coming to hug me when I’m sad!? . . . Hello!? Is anyone there?”

7 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

How Images in the Temple Deepened My Understanding of Mary and Joseph's Sacrifice

By Anne Maxson

December 20, 2018 03:26 PM MST

The following has been republished with permission fromannemaxson.com.

3 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

Why We Should Expect Miracles in Our Lives + How to Recognize Them Every Day

By Anne Maxson

December 14, 2018 02:00 PM MST

A few years ago, we discovered that our son, John, felt the wise men needed to up their transportation game.

4 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

What a Simple Chore Chart Taught Me About the Savior's Grace to Teach Us Heaven Now, Despite Our Flaws

By Anne Maxson

October 04, 2018 03:00 PM MDT

I had an unexpected spiritual lesson taught to me after we implemented a new chore/allowance system with our kids. We had recently moved and wanted to get organized. It also coincided with the start of school (with one of our kids starting kindergarten). Don’t all the parenting gurus talk about making sure you disrupt as many routines at once? (No, no they don’t. What were we thinking?!?)

3 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

The Powerful Lesson I Learned from a Crashing Christmas Tree: No Thing Is Sacred

By Anne Maxson

December 20, 2017 01:18 PM MST

If a Christmas tree falls and no one is at home, does it make a sound?

3 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

When a Prompting to Go to the Temple Didn't Turn Out at All How I Expected

By Anne Maxson

October 11, 2017 03:16 PM MDT

Have you ever been too tired to do something you know you really should do? Have you ever brushed off a prompting because it didn't make sense or it didn't fit into your day? Sometimes those promptings are to bring someone cookies or send them a text or actually call them on the phone. Sometimes they are to read a certain talk from a Church leader or a particular passage of scripture. Most of those things we can squeeze into our schedule – especially if the cookies are store-bought.

7 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

How Ordering Pizza Transformed the Way I Pray

By Anne Maxson

August 31, 2017 05:05 PM MDT

A few weekends ago, we had the opportunity to watch the Idaho Falls Temple rededication. As I listened to the dedicatory prayer, I thought about my own prayers. I’d been thinking recently that I needed to give more thought to my prayers and make sure it is a two-way conversation rather than a quick, “Thanks for…”, “Help me…”, “See ya later.” Obviously, they weren’t quite that half-hearted, but I was missing out on mighty prayer.

6 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

The Moment I Realized It's Okay to Just Be Held by the Savior When Life Is Falling Apart

By Anne Maxson

August 02, 2017 01:05 PM MDT

A few months ago, my work schedule changed and I started working a lot more. Both of my kids really struggled with the transition. In general, I would see them for about an hour and a half in the morning (45 minutes of that being our commute to school) and I would get home (hopefully) in time for bedtime stories or at least snuggles for a few minutes. They would seek attention from me in the way that irritates me the most—bullying each other in the car during that cherished time together in the morning. I’d try to redirect and try again and again: “Let’s count tractors!” “Check out all the flooding along the river!” (Yes, we live in Idaho.)

5 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

When My Lutheran Grandma on Her Deathbed Asked Me to Perform Her Temple Work

By Anne Maxson

July 13, 2017 05:28 PM MDT

When my grandmother was about to pass away, she made me promise her that I would do all of the “Mormon stuff” in the temple for her. This was quite the turnaround considering that, at one time, she told me I would break her heart if I served a mission. (During that same time, I felt the support of her husband who had passed away, helping me to continue to move forward with my decision to serve.)

4 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

How I Realized the Lord Had So Much More Planned for Me When Nothing I Planned in Life Worked Out

By Anne Maxson

May 19, 2017 01:25 PM MDT

One of my favorite scriptures is Proverbs 3:5-6 which states, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not to thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.” It gives a commandment in the form of trusting in the Lord and acknowledging Him. I believe that the idea of “trusting and acknowledging the Lord” partially achieved by trusting and following the promptings of the Holy Ghost. As we do that, the promised blessing is that “He shall direct thy path.”

6 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

The Problem with Looking for a Spark and Why I Needed to Change My Perspective on Dating

By Anne Maxson

May 17, 2017 12:57 PM MDT

Do you believe in love at first sight? Probably not. But do you believe in like (or dislike) at first sight? We prioritize certain attributes, whether physical or personality-based, that help us to be attracted to or not attracted to a person when we meet them for the first time. A few years ago, I had a lengthy list of things that would get a man points or lose him points. It included everything from nice shoes to a good voice, from a quick wit to an instant spark, from a nice car to pretty, blue eyes. There were also many things on the deal-breaker list—for example, crooked teeth, telling weird stories on a first date, having a messy car or weirdly shaped ears. Looking back, it is ridiculous just how superficial I was.

5 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

The Uncomfortable Prompting That Helped Me Become a Ministering Angel

By Anne Maxson

May 15, 2017 11:12 AM MDT

Shortly after my husband and I moved into a new ward, I had a prompting that I should ask one of the ladies in the ward if she would like me to type up her memoir/journal/whatever-you-call-it. She had somewhat severe arthritis so it wasn’t totally unjustified, but still, I thought, “That is a ‘beyond-the-boundaries question.” (Seriously . . . if someone asked me that, I would be a bit concerned—especially if it was someone I didn’t know very well.)

4 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

One of God’s Hardest Commandments We Rarely Think of

By Anne Maxson

May 13, 2016 01:03 PM MDT

One of the hardest commands the Lord gives us in the scriptures is one we don’t often think of: “be not weary in well-doing, for you are laying the foundation of a great work” (D&C 64:33-34). But what happens if you are weary? What happens if you are exhausted, burned out, over-stretched, and just need a break?

8 Min Read