Latter-day Saints can learn from sacred days on the calendar

It was my first year in my first full-time reporting job after graduation, and Mardi Gras was on my beat.

I had prepped myself to cover the local festivities, which were billed as "family friendly." I learned about the Courir de Mardi Gras (aka the chicken chase or Mardi Gras run), krewes and king cake. I learned why beads -- and lots of them -- were deemed essential.

But coming from a Mormon family with pioneer ancestry on both sides of the tree, I had never celebrated and, admittedly, never really paid attention to this holiday with Catholic and Cajun roots. The irony of the only Mormon in the newsroom covering Mardi Gras festivities was not lost on my co-workers.

Coming Tuesday on MormonTimes.com