Inspiring people to care about the planet since 1888

I just invested in something that I'm really excited about - a $10 year-long magazine subscription. My first subscription ever. To National Geographic! Tell me - how can you go wrong with that?

(Arnoldo Grenha)

Lullabye

One of my favorite lines from a country song belongs to Lady Antebellum's "American Honey". This line became especially relevant to me before I left for England. I was going to be gone for the longest I'd ever been away from home, and I was leaving behind many things I loved in order to have an adventure of learning. The line goes, "Couldn't wait to get goin' - but wasn't quite ready to leave."

I find it fascinating that the human emotions have the capacity to feel restlessness, excitement, and anticipation at the same time as apprehension, anxiety, and yearning for younger days. All of these came to a head as I sat in the kitchen with my mother as we listened to the men of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing "Lullabye (Goodnight My Angel)".

Goodnight, my angel
Time to close your eyes
And save these questions for another day
I think I know what you've been asking me
I think you know what I've been trying to say
I promised I would never leave you
And you should always know
Wherever you may go
No matter where you are
I never will be far away


Goodnight, my angel
Now it's time to sleep
And still so many things I want to say
Remember all the songs you sang for me
When we went sailing on an emerald bay
And like a boat out on the ocean
I'm rocking you to sleep
The water's dark and deep
Inside this ancient heart
You'll always be a part of me


Goodnight, my angel
Now it's time to dream
And dream how wonderful your life will be
Someday your child may cry
And if you sing this lullabye
Then in your heart
There will always be a part of me


Someday we'll all be gone
But lullabyes go on and on
They never die
That's how you 
And I
Will be


-Billy Joel

As I listen to this song, I sometimes picture my mom singing this to me during a wonderful, blissful childhood and grieve over the fact that I must grow up. But then an image of me holding my own child creeps into my mind, and suddenly I am the one singing this song. Am I ready for that? I think of all I've done over the past few years and all I plan to do over the next few years, and I am tempted to slow down. Wishing I could change seconds into minutes, minutes into hours, and hours into days, I realize that my role in the world will soon change. Soon it will be my turn to sing the lullabyes and encourage the dreaming just as my mother did to me.

I'm scared, but I have experienced extraordinary outcomes of recent scary leaps of faith. Whatever happens in the next few years will probably surprise many people - probably me most of all. Who knows? I know it will be wonderful.

I can't wait.

Editor's Note

I was reading Words of Mormon today, and I realized that the profession I'm preparing for is one that many many great people belong to. Mormon edited the Book of Mormon, and he succeeded in editing it into the most correct book on the earth. Wow.

Think of all the anthologies or compilations you've read. Those were all put together by editors. Editors have been around for a LONG time. Ever since there was text to produce, someone probably looked over it for typographical and design errors. How fun to join in a profession that boasts such a rich historical line of people!

On Books and Babies

In my Artist Book class today, my teacher shared an interesting philosophy:

"In my home, books are sacred. I let my children hold babies before I let them hold books. In many ways, babies are more resilient than books..."

How would it be if...

• Your desk at work was right next to John Bytheway's?
• You met the man in charge of all Deseret Book's sales in the elevator?
• People around you refer to one of your idols as just "Sheri"? Example: "Oh, I just need to run these journals down to Sheri..."
• Your supervisor participated in Deseret Book's annual Christmas book signing event?
• You spent two days source-checking the 100s of scriptural references in the work of one of your favorite speaker/authors?
• You spent a day combing through quotations from the volumes of Journal of Discourses, History of the Church, Doctrines of Salvation, and Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith? And how would it be to recognize each of those by their acronyms - JD, HC, DS, and TPJS?

Let me tell you: It would be pretty great. Intimidating, yes. But mostly fantastic.

JB X 2

It was a beautiful day. Miss JKM became Mrs. JKMB, JB smiled a lot, and the day was not over before most Mangum men wore fake mustaches.

It was cold,

 

but JKMB didn’t mind.

Reception guests were greeted by a (hopefully) warm smile and two old machines. Most of the older guests approached the machines with confidence, and younger ones were afraid to touch anything that lacked a working backspace key. Nevertheless, the guest list was compiled successfully.

All in all, the typewriters were a big hit. And all in all, the bride and groom were very very happy, if not tired.

…and beautiful. Don’t you agree?

Deseret Book Company: Bringing Values Home

One morning last Spring, I walked with my good friend Jared Reid towards the baptistry door of the Salt Lake Temple. I lifted my eyes from the spring blooms gracing the grounds of temple square to glance up at the City Creek skyline. My gaze caught on the Deseret Book Company sign bordering the top of the Deseret Book tower, and I sighed. Basking in the sign's serif-fonted glory, I said with a hopeful air, "Jared, I want to work there someday." He smiled over at me and tried to offer encouragement. "Yeah...maybe someday."

Today's email from Sis. Barker of Deseret Book Company Human Resources:

Kathryn,

Thank you for coming in again on Monday to interview for our publishing internship. Suzanne and Lisa were very impressed with you during the interview, and I'm happy to report that you have been selected for our 2011 spring semester internship! 

If you'd like to accept the internship (and we hope you do!) please let me know if the time frame I've presented will work for you, and if you have any questions I can answer. Thank you so much for considering Deseret Book--we look forward to having you join us in January!

Little did I know that day last spring that less than a year later that I'd be walking through the big, beautiful glass doors of Deseret Book to start my first day there. Little did my teenage self know as she browsed for hours through the fiction section of the Cottonwood Mall Deseret Book that she would one day be closely-editing the front and back cover flaps of the books I held.

Deseret Book Company, here I come.