Darla Isackson believes that writing is part of her “heavenly assignment” and has been a professional writer for four decades.
In her twenties she found great joy and success serving in the California Mission, where she was asked to write a training manual for lady missionaries. She married soon after her return and graduated from Utah State University. She began writing for Church magazines and co-authored the book To Parents with Love during the years she was raising her five sons.
When full-time work became necessary she served as managing editor for Latter-day Woman Magazine (which she also co-founded), then Covenant Communications, then Aspen Books.
When Darla’s elderly mother came to live with her and her husband Doug, Darla “retired” to care for her mother and focus on writing. From then to the present, more than 300 of her articles have been published (primarily in Meridian Magazine, where she became a regular columnist in 2001). In 2006 she became managing editor and writer for a senior publication, a small job she continues to enjoy (partly because she can do it at home in her pajamas).
Darla’s life was forever changed by the suicide of her second son, Brian, in 2004. Words flowed onto paper to capture her experiences. Her book Trust God No Matter What! was released in 2009, and her book After My Son’s Suicide: An LDS Mother Finds Comfort in Christ and Strength to Go On in 2010. When she received the request to rewrite this book for a general audience, she couldn’t imagine how it could be done without LDS references. But the Lord made it possible and her new book, Finding Hope While Grieving Suicide: Opening Your Heart to the Healing Only God Can Give, was released in 2014. It answers aching questions such as “why didn’t God prevent this”? with solid gospel principles and Bible references, and like her other books, provides comfort by turning the reader to Christ.
Darla lives in West Jordan, Utah, with her husband, Doug, with whom she served a part-time service mission in the Salt Lake Inner City project. Darla is a nature lover who finds respite in beautiful nearby canyons and in a yard that produces many gorgeous roses. She adores her grandchildren (17 and counting), who are a constant source of delight.
While some of the things we keep are vital to…
It's possible to slow down and get more done.
I like to remind myself that the scriptures always say,…
How fitting that the light begins to increase each day…
I’ve sometimes felt spiritually paralyzed by extreme doubt and fear,…
The first principle of the Gospel is faith in the…
Though grief comes in many different ways, grieving loss is…
The pervasive noise of modern society seems to be part…
I feel my life issues and unhealed hurts surfacing. I…
I used to wonder why the Lord required the sacrifice…
When we find ourselves flat in bed, unable to function,…
“I know I should forgive, but how? It makes me…
What flames of the refiner’s fire are you currently dealing…
Joseph said that the Saints would need an “iron faith”…
The dictionary says, “a perfectionist is a person who is…
If modern science could wipe out all disease, even re-engineer…
After months of mysterious symptoms which neither my primary care…
I woke with high hopes for some sunshine, but by…
Without charity we are nothing, but with it we are…
How we see the reasons behind our suffering impacts us…
Many faithful Latter-day Saints have prayed for different outcomes than…
I know my Father in Heaven is standing with arms…
Even as believers, whenever we read the promises of God…
I think Thanksgiving should be attended with trumpet fanfare and…
Erroneous thinking about life’s happenings can cloud our thinking, keeping…
I’ve always marveled at the Pioneer’s ability to sing “all…
Does a high enough level of faith give us control…
With a new school year just beginning, my thoughts have…
“We have the whole evening to do whatever you choose.…
I’ve come to believe that fear vs. faith is one…
Memorial Day celebrations may have become more a time to…
Is there any way we can comprehend the importance of…
Would you rather be right or do right? In all our relationships this is…
With the world in turmoil and so many inexplicable personal…
It is the nature of mortality that we experience opposites—including…
Though grief comes in many different ways, grieving loss is…
How can anyone explain the depth of relief a person…
How do we build Zion in the 21st Century when…
Physical abuse is rarely hard to define or recognize. When…
As baptized Latter-day-Saints we have been taught. We have, for…
My first awareness had been that I WAS CLEAN, and…
As so many of us have experienced first-hand, there is…
The gospel is often called, “The Plan of Salvation.” Yet…
As another school year comes to a close, many parents…
What flames of the refiner’s fire are you currently dealing…
Do you have mixed feelings, at best, about December? Then…
In the past I would not have considered the scriptural…
We as brothers and sisters in the gospel have every…
The reality is that the vast majority of LDS children…
Have you noticed how certain phrases in inspired conference talks…
In order to truly see what the Lord would have…
The purpose of this series on education is to increase…
If the early prophets took such a stand against public…
How many times do our children become our examples, our…
Perfectionism is the best recipe for unhappiness I can think…
Have you recorded family stories of miracles, large and small?…
Each individual situation will be different, and many people now…
Ralph W. Emerson, an American philosopher reminds us that rings…
Christmas lights brighten dark December because we still follow the…
Time and again I have revisited my need to make…
Stillness, lack of outside stimulation and distraction, grants me the…
Coming to peace with the past is a matter of…
Years ago in a BYU Education class, Stephen R. Covey…
Which stack is it in? Which box? Which file? Where…
We need too quit asking “How can I get control…
Only if we take the Holy Spirit as our guide…
I’ve been deceived about many things in my life; I’ve…
The lives of some of the loved ones I’ve lost…
The first principle of the Gospel is faith in the…
I've wondered so many times how so many of us…
Following the recent article on getting rid of unwanted possessions,…
Some home management texts include the rule: Whenever you buy…
The Christmas season is the perfect time to remember the…
When I experience “winters of the soul,” Christ's light gives…
Most of us, as practicing members of the Church spend…
Why does the Lord require the sacrifice of a broken…
Since losing my son to suicide a decade ago I…
Is it ever realistic to say "Ive done nothing wrong;…
I relapsed into perfectionism again the other day before I…
As a child, I loved climbing trees, spending time in…
The children of Israel would wake up in the morning…
I want to unveil a mystery that defies logic. It…
The word "Zion" resounds in the hearts of the Latter-day…
Hyper-vigilance is an ego-based need to keep all the balls…
For those of us with chronic illness, our diminished strength…
I have experienced the blessings of my small efforts in…
I usually compare my worst weakness with others greatest strengths,…
It is hard to lose a family member to death--and…
Many times our heart-felt earnest prayers result in blessings far…
Relationships can be strengthened or weakened depending on our willingness…
If our family has held on to some false ideas…
For centuries, women had a limited number of options open…
Right now you may have a friend or family member…
Political unity has never been easily achieved. Even in the…
What is Christ's pattern for service? He mercifully does for…
Parents who feel truly at ease with the whole picture…
What are the internal "weapons of war" that I can…
Have you wondered like I have, why we, in Christ's…
If pastoral Ethiopian women can envision change and rise up…
Have you ever felt helpless in the face of loved…
It isn't easy to discard the treasures of years of…
My physical therapist asked "Why do you think that having…
Had I stood on the threshold of 2012 and been…
A review of the new book, Kory, a mother's beautiful…
If we are not mindful, the great blessings of our…
We hear a lot about how to express ourselves clearly…
In the midst of a contentious election season when differing…
Autumn is too modest. It should announce itself far and…
Serious causes for stress are escalating. We all need a…
Anger and resentment flowing from wells of un-forgiveness are opposite…
Whose plan was it, after all, to control people and…
Every day, in every relationship, including our relationship with ourselves,…
I look for reasons NOT to complain. Complaining is such…
I am not one whose depression is strictly physical. I…
The needs of the person whose life is controlled by…
Anyone who loves a good missionary story will recognize right…
If you don't think a book about apron springs, or…
There are many other books more entertaining, more diverting, and…
In our efforts to build and improve marital relationships, Darla…
Divorce can often create a polarizing affect on family members.…
Children are meant to be loved and enjoyed. They can…
If respect is the golden thread running through our Heavenly…
Nicholeen and Spencer Peck have been featured in a BBC…
What I previously wanted, without realizing it, was either a…
Do you have a desire to connect generations--place yourself and…
How can we help teenagers protect themselves in a world…
We cannot underestimate how dependent we are on spiritual help…
Of all the things we want to teach children, solid…
How can we be spiritually whole in a world that…
The minute we determine to travel the path of spiritual…
A friend of mine said, "Sometimes I seem stuck and…
If you divorce, you may feel adrift from all the…
No one wants to be stopped in their tracks with…
Ideals are stars to steer by, not sticks to beat…
"Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee?…
If I were the adversary with all his centuries of…
The book of Alma offers mothers powerful motivation to make…
Spiritual and emotional wounds from the past are rarely visible,…
Debbie Bake writes: "In the beginning, from my outward appearance,…
Darla introduces us to He Did Deliver Me from Bondage,…
Comparing ourselves to others is detrimental to our well-being and…
We can read a lot about the love of Christ…
Why does the Lord require the sacrifice of a broken…
What can you learn about God and his comfort in…
"There's a myth that suggests that people who take their…
I know the Lord ... will help me fight my…
Too often we bask in our comfortable complacency and rationalize…
One clear morning at Haun's Mill, the children were happily…
Too often we fail to recognize the Lord's intervention and…
Have you ever been tempted to honestly tell someone exactly…
My life is very monotonous,? the fox said, ?I am…
Personal need is what finally teaches us what Christmas is…
The voice in your head that is busy interpreting your…
In 2009, Meridian Publishing released Darla Isackson's Trust God No…
Are our lives really wasted if we aren't cut out…
We all want to create a learning climate in our…
Shouldn't we be educating our children to become great individuals,…
We strengthened our entire extended family by celebrating the memory…
The liberating truth is we can help the way we…
Motivation sometimes seems to be one of life's most subtle…
Resentment is a poison, a joy-zapper, an energy drainer, a…
Immersing ourselves in the scriptures and conference talks-so easily available-won't…
All the elements obey; all God's creatures obey. Only man…
No trial goes on forever. The oft-quoted scripture, "And it…
How can God sit up there with His huge capacity…
If you don't think a book about apron springs, or…
Most human beings are on a quest to understand who…
A well-meaning stake missionary watches the trials a family goes…
Missionaries to the inner city teach church members who come…
If Mother's Day brought pain to you, there is another…
"What difference does it make?" is a good conflict-defusing question…
Being "right" about something is an empty victory indeed if…
All of us suffer losses. Sometimes those losses are great…
When there are a thousand options you can choose or…
If the Lord is my Shepherd I won't want what…
What a comforting, wondrous thing to realize that each time…
Money could never buy such a sacred possession as the…
Your descendants can never read your life story if you…
Here are some practical solutions to the dilemma of organizing…
Joseph Smith laughed and played and condoned many forms of…
It's hard to do your genealogy if everything is in…
Today's children are following the example of many adults to…
Slowing down can be the most essential thing we can…
What kind of progress is possible in that in-between place…
Is your sense of identity intact? When poor health strips…
Have you or anyone close to you has adopted a…
Does God really want us to learn the lessons we…
Most people truly don't want and can't handle the details…
In many ways chronic illness has provided grains of discomfort…
Anyone who loves a good missionary story will recognize right…
Celebrating Christmas at winter solstice is beautifully symbolic because Christ…
Can we apply Elder Holland's counsel on beauty to behavioral…
I don't believe Latter-day Saints can continue to send their…
Grieving is a universal experience that no mortal can long…
What if Enos was like so many of us who…
Have the public schools become less supportive of the values…
In the moment that Mary knew she was actually going…
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow…
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow…
Sunshiny days don't last indefinitely. Storms come, night descends, and…
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow…
It is relatively easy for others to see when we…
So what do I need with resolutions? How many of…
The issue of same-sex marriage ... is a vital part…
Some parents solve their children's education needs by having them…
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow…
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow…
Should you home school your child? Become the PTA President…
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow…
You can make a positive impact on your child's education,…
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow…
In order to truly see what the Lord would have…
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow…
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow…
Early Church prophets warned Latter-day Saints about having a Godless,…
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow…
LDS parents are rightly alarmed about the quality of education…
Classroom teachers can only tell children about how plants grow…
The Book of Mormon offers one of the most powerful…
Zion is a goal in every Latter-day Saint heart. Are…
Choosing to change is one of our God-given rights and…
Christmas is a perfect time to choose the "one thing…
The higher law of gratitude is a commandment for today,…
Many ask, why hasn't the Lord answered my heart-felt prayers…
Trying to fulfill the commandment to 'be perfect' can prove…
It may sound like an easy enough thing to do,…
At his 80th birthday party, beloved teacher Ivan Barrett made…
I approach the subject of divorce with great trepidation. Nothing…
Prescription drug addiction is more common than we would guess.…
For centuries, women had a tiny palette of colors to…
Seven safeguards to help your Teenagers do the right thing
Seeing the hand of God in all seasons helps us…
Even though we had no control over the outward actions…
A reader shares her thoughts about the article, Children and…
"It is important that we should understand the reasons and…
One of the biggest traps, that mothers of grown children…
Feeling fragmented is a common experience in modern society-but perilous…
Much like a road construction project, our lives often must…
God never makes mistakes or errors in judgement, never betrays,…
The quiet but powerful voice of the Comforter spoke peace:…
Trauma enters many of our lives. Sometimes it is dramatic…