Goosebumps

It was all very familiar;

the chatter of women as they came into the room; the laughter, the hugs, the smiles, the camaraderie. Then,"Okay, sisters, it's time to start..."

The announcements, the introduction of visitors, and then the opening hymn:

"Sweet Hour of Prayer"

And, hearing the women's voices in this room filled with total strangers 2000 miles from my home, gave me goosebumps.

It was so beautiful,

and then I realized we weren't strangers at all!

Love Technology

For several years, Allen's dear, wonderful mother was home-bound. Being forced to stay home from church seemed so cruel for a woman who genuinely loved church. She loved the talks ( she took them down in short hand for years), she loved the people, she loved the Gospel!

Then, bang: osteoporosis. Bad, bad, bad. Moving was excruciatingly painful. Her bones had become so very brittle...it hurt her to be touched. So, she stayed home.

But, when her ward house was remodeled, a device was installed that allowed Dorothy - at home - to listen to sacrament meeting as it was going on. Then, because she loved church services, she also listened to the sacrament meeting that followed her ward. Every Sunday, she turned on the device and voila! she was a part of what she dearly loved. (Her home was just a few blocks from the church, so maybe this was part of what made this possible.)

I've never heard of this before nor since. That was a few years ago, as she died in 2000.

So, what has this to do with this post?

Our ward Relief Society just started posting the weekly lessons on our ward blog. What a great blessing for the home-bound sisters, ill sisters, Primary teachers (MOI!), or anyone remotely interested in listening. A person can listen at their own time, not just when it is happening. But, the important thing is, it's available.

Gotta love techno!

(And, just a little note about technology, which I love. I can be typing away, which I was tonite, and up pops a little hello from our son in Afghanistan - 7,529 miles away. So, we type back and forth with instant responses. Truly, it's incredible...especially for those of us who remember that calling Salt Lake or any long-distance city used to be so expensive and one only did it in the rarest of instances!)

I do love it!

Happy Birthday, Relief Society!

How Often? Once a year
How Many Years? Lots of years is how long I've been going!
What Kind of Evening is it? Some fun, humorous, historical, modern, dinners, non-dinners
Programs? Sometimes music, sometimes speakers, sometimes workshops
Best One? Without Doubt....last night's Sisters of Light! It included original music by Jenny Phillips and an original narrative outline, but with unscripted stories by women in our stake.

Incredible, amazing, inspiring, love-filled, emotion-filled...it was a blend of stories fromBiblical days, pioneer days, and real-life contemporary women who shared their stories of:

losing jobs, homes, health, marriages; and yet, in each case, they bore such powerful testimonies of the love and care of the Saviour. These women KNEW they were watched and cared for by each other and by the love of Christ even during very, very difficult circumstances in their lives.

The music was amazing!

Linda Asay and I drove Sylvia Seegmiller in her wheelchair accessible van. I was so glad that Sylvia was able to go.

I love the Relief Society! Happy Birthday to this marvelous organization.