You Are Relief Society

Last week we celebrated our Relief Society birthday meeting. They served a great dinner and had asked four women to share their testimony of relief society. Apparently, two of the four cancelled at the last minute, so I was approached during the meal to see if I would share mine. I didn't have time to really think of what I might share, but the other two women were young mothers, and it did occur to me that I might have a little different perspective since I've been attending relief society for more than 50 years.

Much has changed. I remember when we went "block teaching" with a list of 8-10 women living side by side down the street. We didn't make appointments. We just walked down the street, knocking at each door. Not surprisingly, in those days most of the sisters were at home. We went in and delivered a 10 minute message and were on our way. If someone was not home, we tore off a little printed message and stuck it in the door.

Homemaking meetings were held on weekdays at 10:00 in the morning. We had lessons on literature, parenting, world cultures, and spirituality. Once a month we stayed for lunch and every week there was a quilt set up for those who wanted to stay and quilt.

After the meeting schedule consolidation, homemaking meetings were in the evening. We had dinner each month and then classes on how to make gluten steaks, how to germinate alfalfa sprouts in a Mason jar, how to make lye soap, how to plant a garden, how to dip candles, how to build rolling storage shelves, how to can, how to put in an invisible zipper, etc. I've forgotten how to do most of those things, but I saved the instructions, and if I ever need to do it, I'll be able to.

I could go on listing differences, but I'm also struck by the things that have never changed -- loving our sisters, being there for each other, sharing our gifts and talents with others, trying to learn how to be better mothers and wives, giving people opportunities to do things they've never done before and being patient while they grow.

When Randy and I got married, my parents were serving a mission in Ireland. That was in the days when there was no option to come home for such an event as a wedding. So, for the first three years of married life, when I needed help I turned to the wonderful sisters in my ward relief society. They taught me to make bread, bottle fruit, and cook meat that wasn't hamburger. They taught me to love "Out of the Best Books," what to say when you went to the mortuary, how to take a baby's temperature, and countless other homemaking skills. I'll forever be grateful for the organization of the relief society and for all the sisters who have helped to shape my life!