More Introductions

Hello my friends, we have several lovely women who have just joined our blog:

Gwen Allen, Heather Aagard, Laura Judd, Lisa Anderson, Missy Riley and Rebecca Lippincott.

I'm so pleased you've joined!

Although I know how wonderful you are, why don't you each post an introduction so all the other women can also revel in your fabulousity. Welcome!

Emphasize Divine Worth

The second official objective of the Relief Society is to "emphasize the divine worth of each sister." The first thing that comes to mind is visiting teaching. While I may not be the model of a perfect visiting teacher, I think it is a divinely-inspired program. It makes the statement that every woman is worth visiting. Every woman is worth being looked after. Every woman is worth the time, the effort, the thought. I have had both fabulous and awful visiting teaching experiences. I have been both fabulous and awful as a visiting teacher. But when it functions properly, visiting teaching helps emphasize the divine worth of each sister. (Are we not all motivated to do our visiting teaching this month?)
For some reason, emphasizing the divine worth of each sister is necessary in that an often correct stereotype of women is to feel decidedly un-divine. But I do think the Relief Society is trying to combat this. I recall a few Women's Conferences ago the talks focusing on our divine worth (does anyone have a link to any specific talks? I can't seem to find one). And I also feel the Young Women's program did a great job at preparing me for womanhood (and Relief Society) by drilling my divine worth -- among other values -- into my head.
How do you think Relief Society performs at emphasizing the divine worth of each sister? In what ways could the Relief Society, as an organization, do better? In what ways could you do better at helping your fellow sisters appreciated and realize their divine worth?

I have a penchant for transparent blouses...

...which is strange because after living in Jerusalem last year, your friend who has been known by a sobriquet synonymous with "nude" came to better understand principles of modesty that had previously eluded her (I told my mother I wanted to wear hijab - I like this and this). I have been fascinated by how my perception of modesty has changed (and will still be changing, cf. post title).

My flat in the Old City of Jerusalem was situated next to a neighborhood where many religious Jewish families lived, so I was often walking around women who exemplified a type of modesty that led me to view the BYU dress code as a standard for modesty as one par with the level at which movie ratings offer a standard of appropriate content. Part of my revelation about modesty was understanding how clothing is only one expression of modesty. I have often operated under the mistaken impression that if certain body parts are covered, then I'm being modest. I have failed to realize, however, that if the covering is primarily over-stretched lycra, I haven't actually concealed anything but my natural coloring, right? So for these women, modesty wasn't faux modesty (my xs Shade shirts are sighing in the closet), but by covering their feet to their wrists to their collarbones, these women presented their bodies as something private, something holy. And they were so beautiful! I was amazed by how their modesty set them apart from other women, really a tangible difference in their demeanor and how they carried themselves, as women who understood themselves as women - perhaps who understood the power and beauty and sacredness of their female bodies and reflected their understanding through the respectful discretion with which they presented themselves through clothing. Perhaps also as respect for God?

Dressing is more of an adventure for me now, more of a thoughtful process. I love thinking of it in terms of keeping my body mysterious to everyone but my husband. I also really love how, by thinking of my body as something more holy (also holiness= apart, separate) and sacred, it has become to feel more holy and sacred to me; like, the virtues I endow it with, it more fully engenders. And I love how it changes how I interact with people, I am much more comfortable, much less self-conscious, I can focus more on experiencing the ideas and content of human interaction than on the style or presentation or material aspects of our interaction. And I'm enjoying how modesty is influencing other areas of my thought, like ideas about purity (like, physical cleanliness).

I know many of you have understood modesty far earlier than I, so- what does modesty mean to you (and I'm talking about this as a personal, subjective principle (ie, not as a cultural force or how one's modesty is related to another person's righteousness (you know the conversation I am averting))? On a material level, how has it influenced your sartorial choices? And how has it influenced your theories about other aspects of life? Have their been events, changes in your life that have affected how you think about modesty? Do you know where I can find any modest skirts?

"You Didn't Teach Me to Forget You"

You didn't teach me to forget you

Translation by Allison:

I haven't seen you

it's been so long

that the desire I feel

is to look in your eyes

and win your embraces

it's true, I don't lie

In this despair that I see myself

I've already arrived at that point

that I've switched places with you so many times [in my mind]

only to see if I meet [find] you

You really could forgive me

and just one more time accept me

I promise you that now I'll make myself go to where [i.e., become someone that will]

I'll never lose you again

Now that I live life without you

You didn't teach me how to forget you

you only taught me to want you

and wanting you I go about trying to find you

I go about losing myself

seeking in others' embraces your arms

lost in the emptiness of other paths

of the abyss in which you threw me

and shot me and left me here alone

Now that I live life without you

You didn't teach me how to forget you

you only taught me to want you

and wanting you I go about trying to find you

I go about losing myself

seeking in others' embraces your arms

lost in the emptiness of other paths

of the abyss in which you threw me

and shot me and left me here alone

In this despair that I see myself

I've already arrived at the point

that I've switched places with you [in his mind]

so many times only to see if I could find you

You really could forgive me

and just one more time accept me

I promise you that now I'll make myself go to where [i.e., become someone that will]

I'll never lose you again

Now that I live life without you

You didn't teach me how to forget you

you only taught me to want you

and wanting you I go about trying to find you

I go about losing myself

seeking in others' embraces your arms

lost in the emptiness of other paths

of the abyss in which you threw me

and shot me and left me here alone

Now that I live life without you

You didn't teach me how to forget you

you only taught me to want you

and wanting you I go about trying to find you

I go about losing myself

seeking in others' embraces your arms

lost in the emptiness of other paths

of the abyss in which you threw me

and shot me and left me here alone

Now that I live life without you

You didn't teach me how to forget you

you only taught me to want you

and wanting you I go about trying to find myself