How do you measure the influence of a woman?
Sister Dew is one influential woman.
As Dae said
Sister Dew's calling to the General Relief Society Presidency
in 1997 made a huge difference to how single women were seen
and how they were invited to serve in the Church.
I know that her calling influenced my own callings to
Ward Relief Society Presidencies.
Sister Dew talked about so many things
but the question that resounded with me was
how do you measure the influence of a woman?
How often do we measure the negative effect rather
than the positives which are often so small and hardly noticed
until they culminate into the sum of years of small actions and examples.
How often can we see the influence of the wonderful women around us?
and don't say anything to them so they can appreciate what they have done too?
Why is it that we think of the saying
little pitchers have big ears when we are gossiping or sharing a woe
but we under value the saying when we are doing good.
A woman's influence is far and wide
when we DO and BE what is good.
An example of this is
Lucky at my work has never heard me swear
and believe me I swear at work,
not often.
It works well as a barometer of how stressed I am.
The reason Lucky has never heard me swear
even though I will have done it in her presence
is simply because she has an idea of who I am.
Religious people don't swear,
kind,caring people don't swear
OK I have no idea if she thinks I'm kind and caring
but I know she thinks I'm religious
and I know she knows she is free to behave as she chooses
without my judgement
because I know she is good person and believe in her goodness.
I just received my order of books and CDs from Deseret Book
of which Sheri Dew is President and CEO.
One of the books I chose was
The Ten Virgins
by Emily Freeman
well and God
but Emily has added to the story.
The parable of the Ten Virgins is so much more
than a bunch of women who were the example of the lottery of being saved.
Aside from the fact being saved is an ongoing experience
not a singular experience.
Fundamentally five virgins have used their oil (talents) wisely and well,
maintained their lamps and their reserves of oil
and nurturing their talents and sharing them
like the bottomless well they are.
The other five were to busy, too proud, too preoccupied, too whatever
that when the Bridegroom came they had used their small supply of oil early on
and had failed to renew it and
missed out on the wedding feast.
The five wise virgins didn't do what they did thinking
this is what I do to ensure I get to partake of the wedding feast.
They lived their lives openly, expressing their thanks for their gifts and talents
by using them for good as God intended them to do so.
They are women of influence because of their actions and deeds
some seen, some unseen
all suited to them and who they are.
God doesn't ask us to be someone we are not.
We are all people of influence.
Worth repeating from Sister Hinckley
"Be kind. Everyone you meet is facing some difficult."
Women of influence who followed their hearts
Anne Perry (or here)
or go to Mormon Women Project
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