Sunday, April 11, 2010

We need women to be women.



This last weekend, as a member of the LDS faith, we were privileged to hear from our church leaders in a televised conference around the world. It is my favorite time of year as we are inspired and taught. This session was very particularly directed towards parents. (you can listen to talks here.) I loved them all and was inspired as I listened to be better as a parent to my sweet children.

There was one quote that I loved above all else in a talk given by Julie Beck (read here). It was a quote she gave from Eliza Snow:

“We want to be ladies in very deed, not according to the term of the word as the world judges, but fit companions of the Gods and Holy Ones. In an organized capacity we can assist each other in not only doing good but in refining ourselves, and whether few or many come forward and help to prosecute this great work, they will be those that will fill honorable positions in the Kingdom of God. . . . Women should be women and not babies that need petting and correction all the time. I know we like to be appreciated but if we do not get all the appreciation which we think is our due, what matters? We know the Lord has laid high responsibility upon us, and there is not a wish or desire that the Lord has implanted in our hearts in righteousness but will be realized, and the greatest good we can do to ourselves and each other is to refine and cultivate ourselves in everything that is good and ennobling to qualify us for those responsibilities."

I loved the line , "Women should be women, not babies that need petting and correction."

I am inspired by many emails I get, moms who want to do the very best they can for their families, who are willing to do the work....hard work to heal lives and protect their families from the world. They are a rare breed. They are searching, praying, seeking for answers. They stay up late and wake up early. They are lost in the service of their families and they don't get the recognition they deserve, but the worlds need us to be these kind of women. Women were designed to be tough, resilient, fighters. The world tries to tell us that we deserve this or that....time away, too much pampering, coddling. We all deserve a break now and then and it is necessary to maintain our sanity on occasion. However, our main mission in life as moms should be to protect and be examples to our children. The world needs us. It needs women to be inspired and I know we all have this right if we seek it form the Lord.

I am always thankful for these reminders and as always need to be a little better. If you missed any of the conference, take a moment to read some of the talks.

Let us be women. Let us not take the easy road. This world is crazy. I get so frustrated with the lies and deceit that is out there in the media today. But, there is truth if we seek it by praying and listening. Then, we take that truth and go to work. The kids will grow up and you can have your time for a little more pampering and "self." You only have a few precious years with your children. Make them count.




7 comments:

Lori said...

I loved Julie Beck's talk. Thanks for posting this, Shari! Missed you today.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Shari. I just discovered your blog today. We share so many similar views and experiences. Your blog is fantastic!! It's so comforting to find others who think and value the same things that you do. I started a small warrior parent support group in my city. Without the connection shared with these parents, I sometimes wonder how I would maintain my sanity in this world today. I just wanted to say hello and thank you for your time on this wonderful site!

Trisha said...

Shari, I love your blog, I like you always want to know why? My peditrician diognosed my 2 year old with leaky gut, she told me to give him two products that she has formulated for herself 1-ALGUT l-glutamine, arabinogalactan, licorice root extract & Aloe leaf extract 2-ALIMMUNE a propriety immunoglobulin concentrate, do you think these are things I should be giving him? P.s. since I have been reading your blog I haven't seen a post on immunizations, I would like to know where you stand on them. If you have the time, and wouldn't mind emailing me, I would love to hear from you. tnbrimhall@hotmail.com
Thanks for your time!
Trisha

kami said...

shari, thank you so much! thank you for the support and encouragement. it helps me remember that i am not CRAZY to be doing everything in my power to heal my little boy. it's not enough just to leave it up to the doctors. thank you, thank you, thank you for all you do!

Kelli Brown said...

I have always loved listening to Julie Beck. I love that she is direct and strong in her counsel and doesn't mince words. She tells it like it is and encourages us to step it up. When I listened to her speak two years ago at Women's Conference, I was incredibly moved. Her talk was powerful beyond words. When I heard her share Eliza's quote in this past conference, I totally smiled and commented to Ryan on the same line you loved about women not being babies. She's just got a great way of reminding us that we have such strength, influence and capacity in our roles as mothers that we cannot afford to be anything but our best selves.

Thanks for sharing! And as always, it was fun spending the evening with you and your family last night. We love seeing you guys!

Connie Lee said...

Thank-you for your courageous voice on the role of women. I believe that womanhood and specifically motherhood is a sacred trust that requires and deserves the best we can give. I don't believe that we will someday regret that we gave our children TOO MUCH OF OUR TIME, or that we gave our husbands TOO MUCH SUPPORT AND LOVE AS THEY FOUGHT THE WORLD TO SUSTAIN US. We live in a "what's in it for me" culture that values selfishness. Ultimately this kind of thinking will not bring happiness. Joy will come from serving and growing a strong loving family.

Melissa said...

Amen!