Right now I am feeling very tired of being a mother. It's summer vacation, the kids are bickering, the baby doesn't sleep, the husbands job is very stressful and overwhelming right now... I could go on. Running away sounds really good sometimes. I like to think every mother feels like this once in a while. Especially when the going gets tough. I don't really know, though, none of my mother friends have ever told me.
This article talks about strong and valiant women, with enormous amounts of courage, faith, and hope. Even though I don't feel like one right now (sleep deprivation tends to do that to me), I do know that I am.
This article talks about strong and valiant women, with enormous amounts of courage, faith, and hope. Even though I don't feel like one right now (sleep deprivation tends to do that to me), I do know that I am.
I really like the story of the lost purse Elder Cook tells. It's about how these women were trying to find the owner of this lost purse. Every item they pulled out looking for identification told something honorable about the young woman the purse belonged to. I'll copy the story here...
We didn’t want to pry; this was someone’s personal stuff! So we gingerly opened it and grabbed the first thing that was on top—hopefully, it would identify her. It did, but in another way—it was aFor the Strength of Youth pamphlet. Wow! This told us something about her. Then we reached in for the next item, a little notebook. Surely this would give us answers, but not the kind we were expecting. The first page was a list of favorite scriptures. There were five more pages of carefully written scriptures and personal notes.
The sisters immediately wanted to meet this stalwart young woman. They returned to that purse to identify its owner. They pulled out some breath mints, soap, lotion, and a brush. I loved their comments: “Oh, good things come out of her mouth; she has clean and soft hands; and she takes care of herself."
They eagerly awaited the next treasure. Out came a clever little homemade coin purse made from a cardboard juice carton, and there was some money in a zippered pocket. They exclaimed, “Ahh, she’s creative and prepared!” They felt like little children on Christmas morning. What they pulled out next surprised them even more: a recipe for Black Forest chocolate cake and a note to make the cake for a friend’s birthday. They almost screamed, “She’s a HOMEMAKER! Thoughtful and service minded.” Then, yes, finally some identification. The youth leaders said they felt greatly blessed “to observe the quiet example of a young lady living the gospel."
We didn’t want to pry; this was someone’s personal stuff! So we gingerly opened it and grabbed the first thing that was on top—hopefully, it would identify her. It did, but in another way—it was aFor the Strength of Youth pamphlet. Wow! This told us something about her. Then we reached in for the next item, a little notebook. Surely this would give us answers, but not the kind we were expecting. The first page was a list of favorite scriptures. There were five more pages of carefully written scriptures and personal notes.
The sisters immediately wanted to meet this stalwart young woman. They returned to that purse to identify its owner. They pulled out some breath mints, soap, lotion, and a brush. I loved their comments: “Oh, good things come out of her mouth; she has clean and soft hands; and she takes care of herself."
They eagerly awaited the next treasure. Out came a clever little homemade coin purse made from a cardboard juice carton, and there was some money in a zippered pocket. They exclaimed, “Ahh, she’s creative and prepared!” They felt like little children on Christmas morning. What they pulled out next surprised them even more: a recipe for Black Forest chocolate cake and a note to make the cake for a friend’s birthday. They almost screamed, “She’s a HOMEMAKER! Thoughtful and service minded.” Then, yes, finally some identification. The youth leaders said they felt greatly blessed “to observe the quiet example of a young lady living the gospel."
This story made me wonder what the things I do tell about me. Am I doing, saying, and keeping things that will show what an honorable woman I am? I hope so.
Elder Cook talks about how essential women are to Heavenly Father's plan. And they absolutely are! I could probably write novels about that!
Towards the end of his talk, Elder Cook quotes a popular song amongst the sisters of the church...
the errand of angels is given to women
and this is a gift that, as sisters, we claim
As women we are given such a precious gift: to raise, comfort, and nurture our children and other children around us.* I love how the song implies that we valiantly and obediently grab that gift and hold on to it with all our might. We are not letting go for any reason! I am not letting go for any reason either.
Most of my family knows how much I like to write. I have journals and scrapbooks and now blogs to show this. I love to write and create. It's my "out". I always feel better afterwards. And I feel better now. Tomorrow will be a better day.
LDS women are incredible! Elder Cook said so. He also said,
"Our women are not incredible because they have managed to avoid the difficulties of life - quite the opposite. They are incredible because of the way they face the trials of life. Despite the challenges and tests life has to offer they remain remarkably strong and immovable and true to the faith."
* I know the song "As Sisters in Zion" is talking about so much more than raising children. The errand of angels includes SO many things. Raising children, I think, is one of them.
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