On April 29th, 2005 – five years ago today – the South Salt Lake Police Department called to inform our family that my sister Shawna's body had been found in a hotel room - due to an intentional drug overdose.  As a family, we sobbed and screamed and searched for solace amidst the heartbreaking shock of her suicide.  She was 34 years old...a musically-gifted mother of 5 children, and the wife of a devoted spouse.  Just prior to taking her life, my sister left a voicemail message on her therapist's cell phone.  She said, in part,

My friend Sarah Hinze sent me this excerpt from M. Catherine Thomas' essay "Redefining Our Self" and it is soooo up my alley, in terms of what I promote and teach about GODLY CONFIDENCE that I just had to share.  Love M. Catherine Thomas, she's become one of my new favorite authors.

The word Station comes from the Latin word that means "to stand."  Therefore, my basic, overall meaning of Sacred Stations is to stand in holy places.

I just listened to a woman who'd had a near-death experience share the main thing it taught her:

Today is Easter.  All week I've been reflecting on something I'd seen in a different light during last Sunday's lesson.  I teach the 9 and 10 year-olds...I swear they feed me more than I could ever attempt to feed them.