Relief Society Part 6 -- Something Extraordinary

(No, you didn't miss parts 3, 4 and 5. They are forthcoming.)


At the first meeting of the Relief Society, Emma Smith said,
“We are going to do something extraordinary, something really extraordinary.” Could she have known, could she possible have envisioned the destiny of this Society?

Could she have foreseen that this small gathering in an obscure town in a frontier region would spread to all four corners of the earth?
Could she have imagined this small group of twenty would grow to an organization of over five million sisters world-wide?
Could she have known of the increased opportunities for all women for education, political freedom, leadership and personal development that would come?

Who can gauge the effect Relief Society has had on the lives of millions of women whose knowledge has been increased, whose vision has been expanded, whose lives have been broadened and enriched?
Who can count the projects that have been undertaken, and the good that has been done by this society of sisters?
Who can fathom the acts of charity that have been performed, the faith that has been nurtured, the pains that have been eased, the food that has filled barren tables?
Who can measure the effect of this singular and divinely established institution?
Truly the Relief Society has done something extraordinary.

As women have been blessed, they in turn have blessed the lives of others.
A little thing here, a little thing there, as women all over the world
Warm the soup and the home and the heart;
Light a lamp and a mind and a life;
Change a bed and a soul and the world,
In small but important ways, making footprints in the sands of time, leaving a mark in the hearts and minds and lives of all of God’s children.

How vast is our purpose; how broad is our mission:
to cheer and to bless in humanity’s name.
For charity never faileth, and it endureth forever and ever—
Even in the Kingdom of our God, where we will all sit down together,
For we had charity, one for another.

Relief Society Chapter 2 Seasons

My sophomore year in college I was called for the first time to be a Visiting Teacher. My companion was even quieter and more backward than I was.

We were called to teach Sis. Wilkinson. Sister Wilkinson was the wife of Ernest L. Wilkinson, the president of BYU. Sister Wilkinson was a member of the Relief Society General Board. Sister Wilkinson served on the committee that wrote the Visiting Teaching messages.

I learned more from Sis. Wilkinson than she learned from me.


All my life I’ve had friends of all ages, but I particularly appreciate the older, more mature friends that I’ve had, as they’ve taken me under their wings and let me learn from their wisdom and experience. As a young married, it made all the difference in my life. I'm so grateful for people like Karen, Gincy, Glenna, Rosie, Bobbye and others.


I recently visited a ward where I saw a young woman walk over to a very elderly woman. I could see the sparkle in her eyes and the light in her face from across the room. The love and connection between these two sisters was palpable, and you could tell they had spent some quality time together. I thought it was one of the sweetest things I’ve ever seen.


Marjorie Hinckley said,
“Oh, how we need each other. Those of us who are old need you who are young. And, hopefully, you who are young need some of us who are old. We need deep and satisfying and loyal friendships with each other. Women need women.”



Relief Society is truly for every season of our lives.

But season is not just a noun; it is also a verb.
We can be the seasoning for others, and they for us --
in all the ages and stages of our lives--
as we expand our circle of friendship.



Strangers are just friends waiting to happen.

Relief Society Part 1 Beginnings

I became a member of Relief Society when I went off to college my freshman year.

Relief Society at that time was at 8:30 am on Sunday morning, a challenge for any college student, but especially for the night owl that I was. I was called to be the chorister, so I had to be there every week, and on time. Every Sunday morning I dragged myself out of bed and left my roommates snug in theirs, and went to Relief Society.
I remember our teacher, an elderly lady with kind eyes, who taught us from her fountain of wisdom and faith. I remember feeling that Relief Society was something special. I knew my roommates were really missing out.
I don’t think I felt well a single Sunday morning that year, but I was glad I "had" to go to Relief Society.


I don’t remember when I came across this quote for the first time, but it has always shaped my attitude about Relief Society:

"The program of the Church is the plan of salvation, and Relief Society is a part of that plan. Sisters, it is your duty to attend Relief Society just as it is the duty of the brethren to attend their Priesthood meetings."

"There is something pathetic about those of our sisters who sit at home waiting to be enticed to Relief Society. Some sisters seem to pour over the offering of Relief Society like a fussy diner searching a menu for something to excite the taste. If you are absenting yourself from Relief Society because 'you don't get anything out of it,' tell me, dear sister, what is it that you are putting into it?" (Boyd K. Packer)


Relief Society has changed over the years. I’m old enough to remember The Relief Society Magazine, putting $2 into a special envelope for annual dues, and Homemaking meetings in the middle of the week. We used to have Spring and Fall Socials, bazaars, and lessons on literature, mother education, and other cultures.


But some things don’t change. It is still a place where we find friendship, where we help one other, and where the lives of individuals and families are bettered.

It really is something special.

It is something you wouldn't want to miss.

"Relief Society is not optional! Attend it, contribute to it, devote yourself to it— great blessings await you, now, and forever."
(Boyd K. Packer)

Moving Day

We’re moving!

Oh, not my family. The business where I work.

Last weekend we packed and the guys moved The Stuff.
Today was our first day at our new digs unpacking The Stuff.

Moves always involve change.
I used to work out in the country. We had our own building on privately owned property with cows just outside our windows.
Now we work in town, in a real office space, with Super Walmart right outside our windows.

Three doors down is a chiropractor. That’s very handy after days like today.

Two doors down is Cookies in Bloom, with scrumptious and beautiful cookies - thick sugar cookies with thick frosting. That almost makes it okay. The fact that they have a post office in their store makes it even better. It might even make up for looking at Walmart.

Before we moved in, the space was a design center where new home owners went to pick out their carpet, flooring, tile, etc. for their new house. It makes for a varied and interesting floor.

For the first time I actually have a desk, a large, real desk. Never mind that I have to share it with two other people. I don't sit much at my job anyway.

And we have space, lots and lots of space. Well, for everything but the actual store. We have space for multiple offices and desks, for a showroom and a classroom, for machine storage and repairs, for our big rolls of batting, and even for all the vehicles and trailers we drive. But not for the store. It's a puny little corner of this big, beautiful place. Oh, well. Who needs a store? or a kitchen? or cows out their window?

My drive to work is a little bit shorter, but instead of cruising down the rural freeway I get to sit through traffic lights.

I'll miss the country feel. I'll miss the homeliness of the boss next door. I'll miss leisurely lunches in the roomy kitchen. I'll miss the friendly mail people.

But I won't miss the bugs, or the clutter, or the long walk for batting.


Change always seems messy.

Changes on the outside seem to change you on the inside.

Some changes are for the better; some are not.

But change is good. It shakes things up, makes you re-evaluate, and redefines things. It can steer you to a better path.


With gratitude for what I had, I'll do my best to make the move.