A guest post by Mette Harrison

1. I am a child of God. This means that God is my father, and I have divine worth. There’s nothing I can do that can change my value in God’s eyes. There is no sin so great, no thought so terrible, no mistake so horrendous, that I cease to have value. (This also applies equally to everyone else in the world.)
2. Popcorn’s popping on the apricot tree! Nature is one of the great gifts of life. Missing out on it doesn’t make you more holy or more righteous. It makes you less so. Pausing to feel joyful is part of God’s plan.
3. Sometimes it’s my turn, sometimes it’s not. There are times when life isn’t going to go my way. I don’t get to choose those times, much as I would like to.
4. When I’m stinky, it’s time for Mommy and Daddy. There are people who volunteer to do some of the hardest parts of caring for us. They are our family. Remember how much you need your family and treat them with as much love as you want them to offer to you.
5. The little boy with the missing hand has the best jump shot. Adults like to make categories. Abled, disabled. White, black. Boy, girl. But in nursery, kids see the world in terms of who is interesting to play with. In our nursery, there’s a boy with one full hand and one partial hand and he is the best basketball player. Guess who everyone likes to play ball with?
6. Who needs shoes? Shoes are a constraint that the real world puts on us. Shoes shelter our feet from the pain and rocks in life. But there are wonderful places where we can take off our shoes and feel safe and free.
7. Lesson time can be fun—and short. What’s wrong with a one-sentence lesson that can be repeated a few times? If you get one sentence across that makes a difference, do you need more than that?
8. Playdough, puzzles, and paint—it’s all learning. Adults make too many sharp distinctions between play time and work time. All play is hard work. We’re always learning. Embrace that. Find your own playdough and let it be fun.
9. Only pour as much water in a cup as you are willing to clean up. In nursery we only pour about a half-inch of water in a tiny cup because at least once a day, a child will spill everything that was in it. Often in life, messes are as big as we allow them to be.
10. Food makes everything better. We use food to welcome people and share good times. Eating food is a simple pleasure. Why deny it?
11. Ashes, ashes, we all fall down. Children understand death in ways that adults do not. When my youngest daughter died, my three-year-old said, “When she is alive again, we’ll play with her.” This was simple and comforting to me.
12. Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam. We’re commanded to be the light of the world, to be the reflection of Christ at home, at work and at play. This isn’t a passive responsibility. Radiating happiness is great, but unless we actively involve ourselves in making this world heaven, we are not doing enough.

Mette Ivie Harrison

Mette Ivie Harrison is the author of many novels, including the mystery The Bishop’s Wife. She has a PhD from Princeton University and is a nationally ranked triathlete.

Here are some of Mette’s previous monthly guest posts on Flunking Sainthood:

• My Daughter Isn’t a Mormon Anymore
• Possible Long-Term Consequences of Mormon Modesty
• Leaving Mormonism . . . and Finding My Way Back