Some of My Favorite Women

I feel incredibly blessed.

Every year our church has a General Relief Society Meeting where all 6 million members of the relief society gather at churches and assembly halls around the world to hear the leaders of our church and organization speak. It is always very spiritual, uplifting and inspiring. 

This year I was especially excited because the choir was made up of women from my stake. I was really looking forward to the night.

I had the opportunity to actually go to the meeting in the conference center with some wonderful women from my ward! We got their fairly early and got to sit right in the front.

Look who we got to see walking in:

Sheri Dew visiting with Elaine Dalton

Some great ladies up in the choir along with Sis. Sandra Rogers, director of the BYU Women's Conference. First row is the General Relief Society Presidency

President Thomas S. Monson, President Henry B. Eyring and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

First Presidency view from our seats

Elder Uchtdorf and his sweet wife

Some of my favorite ladies in the whole world.
Back Row L-R: Deanna Weirholt, Gayleen Bennett, Marilyn Reagh, me, Maryam Chaney, DeeLane James, Dallas Meyers, Sandi Nelson, Amy Wilson
Front Row L-R: Natasha Hodder, Pari Bennion, Amy Bentley, Julie Johnston

My favorite part of the whole night was Pres. Uchtdorf's talk. His talk was a testament to me of  prophets being led and inspired by God. They truly communicate with our Father in Heaven and he inspires them to know what to say. That is the only way a man could know how women truly feel.

He talked about forget-me-not flowers.

Using the 5 petals of the Forget-me-not flower, Elder Uchtdorf told us of 5 things that the Lord would not want us to forget.

1. Don't forget to be patient with yourself: the Lord is fully aware that you & I aren't perfect. He's also aware that the people you think are perfect, aren't perfect. It is part of the mortal experience to have strengths and weaknesses, and to become perfected is a LONG time goal. STOP punishing yourself for your weaknesses/imperfections. Stop comparing your weaknesses to others strengths. Be thankful for your successes; even if they seem small, God notices them and they aren't small to Him.
2. Don't forget the difference between a good sacrifice & a not-so-good sacrifice.  Staying up to lovingly care for your child who can't sleep is a good sacrifice. Staying up all night so that your daughter will have the perfect coordinating bow to go with her dress for church tomorrow is not so good.  A good sacrifice gives up something for something better - am I committing my time & energy for what matters most?
3. Don't forget to be happy NOW!  There's nothing wrong with seeking good, what is wrong is when we put our happiness on hold waiting for that perfect thing that we think will make us happy. Are we failing to notice the blessings that we do have?
4. Don't forget the WHY of the Gospel - The what & how of the Gospel mark the path to happiness, but it is the why of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that actually makes us happy.  When we focus on why, the Gospel won't be a burden.
5. The Lord loves YOU! No matter where you are, who you are, whatever your circumstances may be, YOU are NOT forgotten!

This talk left me feeling uplifted and loved and like I could do anything! What a blessing to have living prophets in my life today.