Glad you got to highlight another favorite of mine. It irks me to hear the “are you a Mary or a Martha?” question (even when not posed exactly that way). In fact, there’s a song on one of the Women of Destiny CDs entitled “Foolish or Wise” I can’t stand to listen to because it references the Mary and Martha story and then transitions to the chorus with “Foolish or wise?” Grr…

Nice contribution about Mother’s Day! It’s not one of my favorite holidays just because of the mindless platitudes often spouted from the pulpit. So, good job and nice talk!

annegb, I love speaking in church. I enjoy public speaking (I am a drama major after all) and I love teaching from the scriptures, so this allows me to do both.

And I would rather not be in your bishopric. I have no aspirations to be in anyone’s bishopric. Having served as both ward clerk (and now) executive secretary, I have seen enough to know I’d never want to be a counsellor or a bishop.

sbanks, thanks. I just didn’t think it would be fair if I complained but offered no alternatives.

Tim, I honestly think the ignorant are the worst speakers. They don’t think about their words and assume everyone believes as they do.

Mark B, AMEN!

Thanks for all the comments everyone.

I think they (whoever invents all these special days) it to Womens Day. To honor the potential in all of us and the contributions women make to the world, whether they’ve given birth or not.

At least bishoprics can exclude the very worst from giving talks on Mother’s Day. No such luck on Mother’s Day. One guy bashed working mothers, and there was all sorts of other insensitive comments made by unthinking people. Yuck.

Thanks

Our ward—maybe the whole church—has gone to rather boring formats altogether. No missionary farewells. No dramatics. I guess they were hoping for more spiritual meetings, but taking the personality out of the talks has resulted in much LESS spiritual meetings. Seldom do I hear inspiring talks. And I also think why not inspire us to celebrate an individual?

We’re not supposed to laugh in meetings, crying is allowed, as long as it doesn’t get too gut wrenching, we’re not supposed to get personal at all.

So our meetings become very much like the books Deseret Books puts out: bland, boring and uninspiring.

Good for you for championing women. I wish you were in my bishopric :)

Honestly, my feminist girlfriends who rail about not having the Priesthood, not being able to be the bishop, etc. I think they are crazy. My hands are full dealing with all the stuff my husband can’t do. I am so not interested in looking for more work to do.
Besides, as a bishops wife you know better than anyone the ugly truth – people are crazy.

I have been lucky to be in a few wards where the welfare/sickness/funeral needs were low so the bishop could focus on other things. It seems to me the trick is to live in a ward boundary with lots of rich members. There no poverty in the members, sickness was covered privately and funerals were pre-paid.

Makes life much easier than the wards we have been in that were full of low-income apartment complexes of poor elderly, single parents and disabled members. That is where bishops are pulled to the end of the rope.