Finding Joy in the Journey

This past Saturday, we had the opportunity to go to the Baton Rouge Stake Center for their Relief Society's 2nd annual "Celebration of Women" with Sheri Dew. Baton Rouge invited Denham Springs and New Orleans Stakes to attend. The theme of the night was "Finding Joy in the Journey." Which ironicly is the title of President Monson's talk during General Conference during the Sunday morning session just a week ago. I didn't get to listen real well to his talk because of kids and stuff, but I had heard part of it and I knew it was something I needed to hear and figured I could just read it later. So I'm so glad I was able to go Saturday night and hear another perspective on the same subject.

For anyone who is reading this and doesn't know who Sheri Dew is, she is an author and President and CEO of Deseret Book Company. She is also a former member of the General Relief Society presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1997-2002). The Relief Society is the oldest and largest women's orginaztion in the world.

She talked about how she was able to go see the men's ice skating finals in the Olympics and she noticed that during the practice they nailed their jumps, but when it was time to be judged most fell. A friend tells her it was all part of the Olympics, "Can you do it when it counts." Then she made the joke of why do we live in a place where have to evacuate for hurricanes every year, but then said that she went through the same thing with tornados growing up on a farm in Kansas. She said that we have life hurricanes and life tornados. And she said Heavenly Father throws adversaties at us because he wants us to turn to him. We can't go through life with out His help. Basically can we be faithful when it really counts, when the pressure is on? Then she talks about to have influence in the world, we need to walk away from the world. And I don't know if she's quoting someone or if she said it, but she said, "We spend too much of our lives as if we are going to stay here, when we can't, we aren't, and we won't." It was just a really great talk to hear with all the craziness that is going on in the world today. And it was word of encourangemnt for mothers raising their children and, I think, with callings in the church (I guess a couple of the things I'm dealing with right now.) And I would recommend for anyone to go back and read President Monson's talk too. As a mother, I keep telling myself, "It will get better when their older." (It probably won't, but it's a nice thought) When I should be enjoying my kids now, no matter what kind of mood they're in or I'm in. Tomorrow might not be here and I would hate to think I spent most of my life complaining about my life. Find the joy in the life you are living now. All the tomorrows eventually will run out.

And she talked about the last days. How the two things that the scriptures prophesy the most about are of Christ and the last days, us. And she said that Christ sent people who he could count on in the last days. And I think those are some great words of encouragement. That we were chosen out of confidence and that our Heavenly Father had that much confidence in us to live faithfully when the going gets tough.