Not the Way I Planned

I remember my ex-husband telling me one day about 4 years ago that Cody was gay. I couldn’t believe it! To the outside world, this man had the perfect Mormon family. He had a successful career, four darling kids, a beautiful wife, and a nice home.  But Cody had a secret.

Sydney Mortensen is part of the LGTBQ community and her family has chosen love every step of the way. Her mother, Jill, spoke with me about how we can embrace each other's differences and create more inclusion instead of judgement. 

Here are some great resources:

LGBTQ/ALLY RESOURCES

NONFICTION: basic introductions to the LGBTQ community & experience…

The Book of Pride: LGBTQ Heroes Who Changed the World https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062571702/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_54J0FQXP2SNQSRH530JM

The Savvy Ally: A Guide for Becoming a Skilled LGBTQ+ Advocate https://www.amazon.com/dp/1538136775/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_VKB1Z7MRT2GGHQD7FCH3

The Gay Agenda: A Modern Queer History & Handbook https://www.amazon.com/dp/006294455X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_Q7A7JNWA799MX1Y4CXTA?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

NOVEL:
This Is How It Always Is: A Novel https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250088569/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_DQVFB89S3V69ABQ8VERR
(loosely based on the author’s life. I loved this - really opened my eyes to the experience of a parent of a transgender child)

MEMOIR:
Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family https://www.amazon.com/dp/0735213461/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_3JMMNWGCVVF2BAJVEK9F?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

FOR CHILDREN:

The Red Crayon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1338106511/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_AZV255M4DQ2AVM4QG3W7_nodl?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

FOR THE RELIGIOUS:

Torn by Justin Lee (also good for teens)

Unclobber by Christian pastor Colby Martin (breaks down the Bible’s “clobber verses” against LGBTQ)

Gay Rights and the Mormon Church by Gregory Prince (not for the faint of LDS, but well researched)

PODCASTS:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lgbtq-a/id1151561226

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-gay-history-lgbtq-oral-histories-from-the-archive/id1162447122

GREAT RESOURCE CENTER & SUICIDE-PREVENTION 501c3: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/

NATIONWIDE SUPPORT GROUP/RESOURCES FOR LGBTQ & ALLIES: PFLAG https://pflag.org/about

GREAT ARTICLES:

https://davidmyers.org/articles/accepting-what-cannot-be-changed?pageID=90

https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2011/10-anti-gay-myths-debunked

DEFINITELY WORTH THE WATCH:

Hannah Gadsby (comedy special): Nanette https://g.co/kgs/Doxicw

“The Gay Agenda” Ted Talk
https://youtu.be/iOByGJskqks

Beckham was only 9-years-old when he passed away from DIPG. Today he would have turned 11. Beckham left a hole in the hearts of all who loved him. This is his story. 

Father and Son Duo Thor and Luc Swennson help kids battling depression and bullying to learn to love life again. 

4-year-old Kyanne went to the store with her two older sisters and what happened when they crossed the street would change their lives forever. 

I’m in the radio biz. It sounds like a glamorous job and truthfully it can be very fun. Unfortunately, the business often means a very difficult balance between work and home life. Radio can mean sudden moves, pay cuts, and often times professional gains come with personal losses.

This is the story of Curtis Booker. He knows the radio world well, having been in the business for two decades.

In 2013 a layoff meant making some tough decisions between professional gains and personal losses.

In the end, he said this. “The only constant in life is change”…people, jobs, plans, career goals, friends, etc…what matters is we adapt to the change. 9 months back in Utah and even though I know it was the right thing to do to be back for my kids which obviously is most important. I can’t say many other things have gone the way I forecasted that they would at the start of this year. A tough pill to swallow following the amazing gig I left behind in Idaho. Not saying it’s a good or bad thing but it’s apart of life. The things that challenge us makes us stronger! Moral of the story: If things don’t go how you planned it, figure out how to make the best of the situation and give it 120% each day!

The first thing I ever heard about Jen is that she has seizures. Jen was my neighbor over a decade ago and I instantly thought she was the sweetest thing ever. Her seizures were scary though. I watched her have seizures in church a couple of times. I remember her head being hooked up to all sorts of strange monitors and her family constantly trying to find an answer.

In the midst of her medical mystery, Jen’s marriage suffered and ended in divorce. She struggled to blend her family through a second marriage and is still trying to find her happily ever after.

Jen’s seizures have caused her to lose jobs. She’s had many people tell her to stop stressing and she’s been accused of “making it up.”

Through all of her struggles, Jen has continued to amaze me. She’s raised two incredible children, achieved her master’s degree, and continues to inspire others that face medical misfortune.

This is Jen’s story. I hope it leaves you grateful for your health, empathetic towards others, and passionate about living life no matter what curveball is thrown your way.

This beautiful young woman, Madeline Duskey, was just 24-years-old when she was hit and killed by a drunk driver.

Her Mother, Crystal Markum-Brown sat down with me to share her incredibly tragic story.

After we talked she wrote me this message.

“Maddie has always been my reason to do better and be better. I want her to be proud of her Mom. She is no longer here, but I am still her Mom and I want to continue to do better and be better for her and her kids. There are many parts of this I want to run from, but she still needs me to show up. I show up battered and beaten many days feeling like I don’t matter, but I show up and do my best and that’s what really keeps me going and has always been what keeps me going fiercely. I now represent her and her family she left behind. If I don’t show up, if I don’t carry on, I would fail to light the way for her kids to do their best.”

Please share this message in hopes that we can prevent another family from enduring this horrific tragedy.

Pornography. It’s a topic we don’t want to talk about. Something we think will never happen to our children or in our relationships. So how can we stop pornography addiction before it starts?

Dr. Tim Hollingshead has created a program called “Free in 13” that has proven results in pulling people out of the trap of pornography.

We can’t be naive to the fact that this destructive content is more easily accessible than it has ever been before and it’s time to have a conversation about it.

No one ever plans to get pregnant as a teenager, but it happened to my cousin Meghann Brimhall.

A mom at 17, divorced by 25, with two kids to raise. Meghann finally found true love after finding herself.

Meghann says she never expected to have a “Brady Bunch” herd of kids, but today she loves her perfectly “imperfect” family.

This is her story.