Presented to: John Bennion
For: 'Like the Lilies of the Field'
In his moving personal essay, �Like the Lilies of the Field,� John Bennion explores how his childhood with an alcoholic father challenged and damaged him. Interweaving flashbacks, a recent Study Abroad trip to England, and an even more recent struggle with depression, Bennion brings readers along his personal journey toward confidence and redemption. He searches not for perfection but for those moments that are �close enough for this life.� His frank discussion will, at very least, captivate the mind of the casual reader; more careful readers cannot help but be personally impacted and changed as they follow Bennion�s quest�as they, too, search to �remember that God loves [them] with and through and despite [their] flaws.� John Bennion�s careful description and intense honesty create a powerful exploration of pain, sin, love, and forgiveness. The Association for Mormon Letters is proud to present John Bennion with its 2006 Award for Personal Essay.