byu women's conference

I got to go to one of the 2 days of women's conference because a friend couldn't use both days.  She offered it to me and by some aligning of the planets, things worked out and i got to go.  Her family saved me a seat in the first session.  I was there alone.  For most women this is a very social event that they love to do with friends and family.

I have mixed emotions about being with a group.  It feels good to belong with someone but it is also very freeing to choose your own schedule and not have to coordinated anything.  It was a good day to be alone.  I enjoyed 2 of my classes, disappointed in one and just walked out of the overflow of another that had been a default choice to begin with.

It is such a great atmosphere filled with women wanting to fill their cups, experience learning and loving and be better prepared to meet the next day and each day there after.  It is also overcrowded and hard if you don't love lots of lines and waiting and overfull classes.

I am glad I went.  A unique experience I had was as I was walking to my car.  I headed over a long overpass for foot traffic.  Three women were also walking, one with a cane.  They were laughing and supporting each other.  The one said "I'm doing pretty well" and turned to me and said, "Don't you think?"

I was surprised. I admitted that I was not a very good judge of walking as I myself was a little wobbly after a long day.  I asked more.  One had had a hip replaced and the other a knee replacement.  The third was the patient one.  We laughed and I said well I had brain surgery.  It kind of quieted the conversation and they asked a little more of my situation.  I hope I wasn't trying to one-up them but to just share.

It keeps coming to my mind that we really don't know what others are thinking, feeling, conquering, submitting to, hoping for, dreaming of.  We just don't know what it takes to show up/or not show up.  We are just human, just moms...

But we do what we can and trust that others are too.  As Mothers Day approaches I see more and more people being sensitive to the harsh self judgments that so many women fall for.  Whether it is being a mom or not a mom, a good mom, a good person.  Often the old "Am I enough, will I ever be enough?" questions cloud our thinking.

For our Relief Society activity this month we watch the move Mom's Night Out.  Not to spoil it but the final message, that "a ha" moment was this very thing.  Recognize that we are created for a purpose, a rather simple purpose and the rest is just icing on the cake.  We can have joy therein.

Want to give a great gift, Love my mother. This matters to me as a mother and I love seeing my father love my mother.  It brings peace and purpose to me, to life.

To all women,

You are loved. You are beautiful. You are adding value to the world. You are enough. Keep growing. Keep shining. Keep loving. That is all you need to do.  That is where your power is. It might look different on each of us but we are all in this together. You are daughters of a king.  Heavenly Father loves you and Jesus Christ knows you are worth all that he did for us.

Love, 
Rebecca

I love this blog post about Mothers' in Zion.  It really is all about our choice to follow Christ and seek to be like Him.  Please take the time to read this article.