Hi, I'm Callie

I live in Arizona. I am a wife & mother, work as an Marriage & Family Therapist and teach at a local University. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I have been married for 30 years, my husband and I have 9 fabulous children together, and are now learning from our grandchildren, what it is to be grandparents.

I was inspired to gain additional education several years ago, and now work in the field of marriage & family therapy. I really like my work and the opportunity it gives me to help others wanting to make changes in their own lives. Every individual, couple and family has their own important story in trying to have successful relationships.

I have many interests and feel that there is not enough time in a day, or in this lifetime to experience and learn all that I am curious about. I especially like cooking, crafting, and gardening and doing things with our family. I write in my spare time, and hope to publish a completed work one day in the near future. I also love music!

Why I am a Mormon

From the time I was a child I have felt happiness inside to say "I'm a Mormon girl!" As I have grown older and developed a sense of what that statement means to me, I have felt the warmth and burning in my heart that our Father in Heaven loves me, that I am His child, and that I have an older Brother in Jesus Christ. I learned that as I followed the principles of the Gospel and the the teachings I had been taught in Family Home Evenings, Church meetings, and in High School Seminary, that the principles were true and by standing true to them I am happy. I know that Jesus Christ, was a teacher among men, I also know that he was born and lived and died for us, because of His love for us. I know that we have a Father in Heaven and that because he does not want to leave us alone in our experience here in life, that he has provided Holy Scriptures, and Prophets and Apostles to continue to direct us in correct paths. My testimony that this is true is one of my most prized possessions!

Personal Stories

What blessings have come through your faith in Jesus Christ?

One of the greatest blessings that comes to me through faith in Jesus Christ is the knowledge that there is life after death. He lived and died and was Resurrected, and so will we live again. I feel hope everyday that I will be together with my parents, and my daughter who have already died. I know this is possible through Jesus Christ.

What are you doing to help strengthen your family and make it successful?

I try to live an honest life so that my children and grandchildren will understand what it means in this challenging world to have integrity, to love and serve and sacrifice for others. I believe in hard work, and that when we are busy doing 'good' we have less time to engage in those things that will bring us unhappiness.

How I live my faith

I have had many opportunities to serve others both within the Church and in the Community. I have had the opportunity to serve in the Church working with children's groups, youth groups, summer girls camps, and serving the women of the church. Currently, I teach a gospel lesson to the women's group once a month in a Sunday meeting. This gives me the opportunity to study the subject for an entire month and develop ways to present and facilitate discussion among the sisters. The church requires a lot of it's members, but I truly belief in the saying: "many hands makes work light". I feel a spirit of cooperation when I work alongside others helping to care for others, beautify the community, and volunteer for projects to help those in need. The church sponsors many events where I can be a part of showing compassion for others. One example was when I was able to help sew quilts, and school bags for children that were sent to a different part of the world so that babies would not go without a warm blanket, and school children would get their schooling off to a good start. I am happy to be a part of an organization that treats all people like brothers and sisters and tries to care for each other.

What is the Word of Wisdom that Mormons talk about?

Callie answered...

The Word of Wisdom is a simple principle Latter-day Saints believe in- We believe in taking care of our bodies! Healthy bodies and clean minds can lead to well-being, strength to succeed and self discipline in forming positive habits. Many of the principles of the Word of Wisdom taught in Doctrine and Covenants Section 88, have been found by the medical profession to be accurate as well. When we eat natural foods, in their seasons, and avoid those things that are harmful to our bodies, we can know that we have done our best to care for the bodies which have been provided for us.
Mark answered...

The word of wisdom is the Lord's law of health. We abstain from drugs, tobacco, alcohol, coffee, and tea, and are encouraged to eat wholesome food and grains, and not eat excessive meat. I am asked all of the time by my fellow residents at the hospital why I don't drink coffee, and how I can stay awake all night on call without it. I don't consider it a sacrifice, though, and am as awake and perform as well as any. It is true that the body will be more healthy when following the word of wisdom, the but the main benefit is spiritual. The knowledge that you are in line with the the Lord's teaching is the most important thing.

What is the Relief Society?

Dave answered...

Established in 1842 for women 18 years old and older, the Relief Society is the oldest and largest women's organization in the world. The motto: “Charity never faileth.” President Julie B. Beck has taught us: “Relief Society should be organized, aligned, and mobilized to strengthen families and help our homes to be sacred sanctuaries from the world. I learned this years ago when I was newly married. My parents, who had been my neighbors, announced that they would be moving to another part of the world... This was before e-mail, fax machines, cell phones, and Web cameras, and mail delivery was notoriously slow. One day before she left, I sat weeping with her and asked, ‘Who will be my mother?’ Mother thought carefully, and with the Spirit and power of revelation which comes to women of this kind, she said to me, ‘If I never come back, if you never see me again, if I’m never able to teach you another thing, you tie yourself to Relief Society. Relief Society will be your Mother.’ Mother knew that if I were sick, the sisters would take care of me, and when I had my babies, they would help me. But my mother’s greatest hope was that the sisters in Relief Society would be powerful, spiritual leaders for me. I began from that time to learn abundantly from women of stature and faith.” (Daughters in My Kingdom, Pages 96-98.)

I have learned that the women of the Relief Society build faith and personal righteousness and help those in need. They have strengthened my family and my home.