Returning to Young Women!

A few weeks ago I decided to start reading this book, "A Return to Virtue," by Elaine S. Dalton, who was released last General Conference as the Young Women General President. I've had it on my shelf for a while, and decided that was what I wanted to read next. This book is special to me because Sister Dalton is a personal hero of mine. I was lucky enough to interview and hire her son as a teacher at the MTC. At the time, she was serving as a counselor in the General YW presidency, and I didn't make the connection. Eventually I connected the dots (I'm slow to catch on at times ...), and asked Chad if his mom would ever be willing to hold a fireside with the teachers in our area. She agreed! And so in the middle of the Christmas season and BYU finals, Sister Dalton came to the Relief Society room of the ward building where Grant and I were attending church and presented a beautiful fireside. It was an honor to meet her and have that intimate association with her. If you can believe it, she is even more beautiful and radiant in person!

Lucky for me, my interactions with Sister Dalton didn't stop there. Chad very graciously invited me to attend his sealing at the Salt Lake City temple. I was working at the Church Office Building at the time, and timidly popped over to support Chad and his sweet bride. It was lovely, and again, such an honor. His mother kindly remembered me, and whenever I would take manuscripts to the Young Women offices, she would make a point of saying "hello." My greatest privilege was when my friend and coworker at the magazines invited me to interview Sister Dalton and the rest of the General Young Women Presidency at that time -- Sisters Susan Tanner and Julie Beck. For over an hour we asked them questions and discussed the For the Strength of Youth Pamphlet. It was amazing. In the weeks following as I took proofs and layouts back and forth for their approval, I was able to share with Sister Dalton the good news that I was expecting our first baby. She was so sweet and sincere. What a blessing to have such close interactions with a beautiful woman whose influence has been so profound on the young (and not so young!) women of the Church.

I love Sister Dalton. Not just because I've had the chance to know her personally, but for all that she is and stands for. I remember seeing her one day across the underground parking lot that connects the Church Office Building, Church Administration Building, and Relief Society Building, and I was struck by how much she literally glowed. It didn't hurt that she was wearing a beautiful white tailored suit, but honestly, she glowed. Now there is no doubt that she is a lovely lady, but what makes her radiate is her purity and the joy she has found through faithfully living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She reflects every good thing I would want my own daughter to know and live, and I will forever be grateful for the impact she made on me and my life through the talks she gave and the standards she defended.

It was during Sister Dalton's service that the 8th Value was added to the Young Women's theme and program: Virtue. What a needed and necessary focus for today's Young Women! And Sister Dalton testified so powerfully on so many occasions of that heavenly trait. I'm looking forward to reading her book, especially because of all the running references she includes (another reason I look up to her -- she's a marathoner!).

But when I picked that book up off my shelf, I had no idea that within days I would be called as the new Laurels Advisor in our ward. I will admit that when I was first called, my stomach dropped a bit. I was not expecting a calling, and I was certainly not expecting that calling! Don't get me wrong, I love serving in the Young Women program -- it is fun, meaningful, and so rewarding. But it is busy and demands not only time, but also a great emphasis on personal worthiness and being a righteous example to the girls. I have served in Laurels before, and I felt a deep responsibility as the girls' "last dose" of gospel instruction before going off to college and entering the world of young adulthood (no pressure!). Needless to say, I have been very humbled by this opportunity. It will stretch me. It's going to force me to be better at managing my time and prioritizing.  It's going to push me out of my comfort zone, since I do NOT feel like I have a personality that lends itself to working with the youth. And it will stretch me in terms of evaluating my own personal righteousness. It's hard to feel like a worthy role model when you're so painfully aware of all your shortcomings and weaknesses!

BUT, all of that said, all those worries and fears aside ... Since attending our first activity, teaching my first lesson, being set apart, and attending my first board meeting with all of the other newly called leaders, I have felt nothing but peace and excitement for this new opportunity. The other leaders are amazing women, most of whom I don't know too well and look forward to rubbing shoulders with as we serve together. And the girls are wonderful. All of them. From Beehives up, they are good and sweet and loving and so desirous to be loved. There will be challenges and worries, but there has already been so much that is good and uplifting and FUN. I'm so glad that Heavenly Father knows what we need better than we do! I had the thought today that "life doesn't always turn out how we plan, but we can be assured that Heavenly Father has a plan for us." 

The day that the old Young Women's presidency was released and our new one was called was Fast and Testimony Meeting. A sister from our ward and mother to one of my Laurels bore her testimony. She thanked the leaders who had served for the difference they had mad in the life of her daughter and then bore testimony of the witness she had received that the newly called leaders were exactly who God wants serving at this time. But what I loved most about what she said was this, speaking to those of us who were just sustained, "You will have all you need to be all they [the girls] need." I loved that so much I wrote it down. What a beautiful statement that is true of service no matter what the auxiliary, and definitely true of our roles as parents. "You will have all you need to be all they need."

So, as I return to Young Women, I will also "return to virtue." I will strive to follow the example of pure and righteous women like Sister Dalton. I will try to be that example to the beautiful young ladies I will lead. I can already see how much I will learn from them and how much this opportunity will bless my life. What a blessing to be a daughter of a "Heavenly Father who loves us," and "to stand as witnesses of God at all times, and in all things, and in all places!"