Debra Sansing Woods

12 ways to care for yourself while caring for someone with mental illness

July 20, 2019 09:03 AM MDT

We often talk about the struggle that those with a mental illness have, but how does it affect their family members and close friends?

6 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

Changing the Stepmom Stereotype: 10 Tips for Stepmothers

By Debra Sansing Woods

May 11, 2019 09:00 AM MDT

Most of the stepmothers I know didn't grow up thinking, "Hey, someday I'm going to be a stepmom. I can't wait." Nevertheless, I grew up to be the stepmother to three and my sister—brave sister that she is—grew up to marry a man who is the widowered father of six. And the reality is, my sister and I both have friends who grew up to be stepmothers as well. If you are a stepmother or know someone who is, here are a few suggestions for making the most of blended family life.

6 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

12 Ways to Support Part-Member Families in Your Ward or Branch

By Debra Sansing Woods

March 23, 2019 09:06 AM MDT

Many Latter-day Saint families have a parent or spouse who is less-active or not a member of the Church. But that doesn’t mean we can’t find ways to love and include them in our own ward and family activities. Find out how you can better support those part-member families you know.

6 Min Read

Fun

25 Ways to Power Your Life with Conference All Year Long

By Debra Sansing Woods

April 07, 2018 01:00 PM MDT

Every six months, we have the opportunity to tune in to new sessions of general conference where we can receive powerful inspiration and counsel from our church leaders. As amazing as that opportunity is, we sometimes neglect to revisit conference talks after the weekend is over, never taking full advantage of all they have to offer. When we do this, we are missing out. Here are 25 suggestions for making the most of general conference, allowing it to power our lives every month, week, and even day, of the year:

8 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

10 Things Latter-day Saint Singles Wish You Knew

By Debra Sansing Woods

March 24, 2018 03:00 PM MDT

As a single Latter-day Saint, church experiences are different from the “norm.” I took some time to talk with a dozen or so singles and former singles (particularly those who spent some real time being single past the age of 21) and invited them to tell the rest of us what they’d like us to know about their experience as singles in the Church.

7 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

9 Ways to Support Blended Families in Your Ward

By Debra Sansing Woods

March 24, 2018 12:00 PM MDT

Few of us grow up thinking, “Someday, I want to be part of raising a blended family,” especially in the LDS community, where the ideal is to have a mother and father marry and stay married, raising their children together.

8 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

The Unexpected Thing That Happened After I Learned My Visiting Teachee Didn't Like Me

By Debra Sansing Woods

March 10, 2018 11:00 AM MST

I’m convinced that every sister in the Church has a best friend in her ward or branch that she hasn’t made yet.

7 Min Read

Finding Gratitude While My Dad Was Dying

Latter-day Saint Life

How a Request from My Dying Father Changed How I Understand Gratitude

By Debra Sansing Woods

November 19, 2017 10:24 PM MST

It was early on a Sunday morning in January and the fifth-floor cancer wing of the East Texas Medical Center was uncharacteristically quiet.

5 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

9 Ways to Love and Support Childless Members in Our Wards

By Debra Sansing Woods

May 04, 2016 09:49 AM MDT

As a mother of five children, ages 13 to 25, I am in the thick of parenthood and deeply appreciate the ongoing counsel that we receive from Church leaders about raising families. At the same time, I have often wondered about the Church experience of those without children, whether married or single. I recently set out to better understand the experiences of Church members who do not have children of their own. Through heart-to-heart conversations with many such members, I came to understand on a whole new level that each childless individual or couple has their own unique situation and story. During my discussions with childless members, I asked how members of their wards or branches can better support them. Here are the suggestions that came up most often.

7 Min Read

Latter-day Saint Life

When a Spouse Loses Their Faith

By Debra Sansing Woods

January 12, 2016 10:25 PM MST

What is it like to be on the gospel path with your spouse—attending church together, serving faithfully in your callings, and raising your children with the gospel as your guide—only to have them announce abruptly, or over time, that he or she no longer believes?

12 Min Read