Mormon Magic
It is difficult to pinpoint the exact moment that causes someone to commence adulthood. Personally, it could be easy to say that I have matured because of tough times, such as when I realized that “happily ever after” did not exist between my parents, as I had learned from the countless screaming matches and daunting door slams. Another possible time was when I had to live in a shelter and learn how to live in an impossibly tiny room with my mother and sister, sharing the same roof with strangers, when before then, I had lived in a spacious four-bedroom home. However, none of that quite fits the bill. During all of that, I was still completely dependent, helpless even, which is definitely not what defines adulthood. In my life,
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We had been going to church together for five months. Then, the two missionaries that had baptized us were sent back to Utah, their home. My family had grown so attached to them that we stopped going to church after, claiming that it was not the same without them.
However, those five months before were the happiest I could remember, and I did not want to stop going. After a few weeks of trying to suppress this feeling of emptiness I had gained from not going to church, I decided that it was unavoidable; I still wanted to be a part of the church, despite the fact that my family did not. The thought of being different from the rest of my family scared me, but eventually, I gathered enough courage to ask my parents to take me to church again. At first, they snickered like hyenas and teased me, but once they saw the stern look on my face, their howling ceased and they agreed.
Choosing to continue going to church despite being the only one in my family has marked my transition from childhood to adulthood. Because of one decision, I was completely changed. I became my own independent person. No longer was I acting on only what my parents wanted me to do. I forged my own path with my choices and created my own unique identity within my family. This was the true indicator of