I have a few minutes before I need to leave for the BYU Singers concert at the stake center. When it's over, I'll be bringing home two members of the choir to sleep at our house for the next two nights. I volunteered to host. I'll write more on that later, but I wanted to take a minute to write before the evening gets crazy.
Emma has an assignment at school to write a paper about the recent Women's March in Washington D.C. and whether or not the marchers have legal and valid points. She came home pretty upset about it. I'm not even sure if someone reading this in the future would be aware of the march I'm speaking of. I actually hope not. But basically it was a week after President Donald Trump was sworn in as the President of the United States. Thousands of women marched to protest the president, to demand equal "rights" for women, and to make a stand as pro-choice on abortion. From everything I could see on Facebook and other social media, many women did not feel that these marchers represented the women of this country. In fact, it was pretty upsetting to some of us. It seemed ugly and vulgar. And now my daughter has been asked to study it and write about it.
At first, I wanted to complain to her teacher. I don't want her on the "Women's March in Washington" web site. I don't want her listening to this kind of rhetoric. But then I thought about this world and the many agendas that will be pushed at my children. I decided that I would let her go on with the assignment. And we would talk about it extensively so that she was taught another viewpoint.
The very next day, while cleaning out a bunch of books, I found a little booklet containing a speech by M. Russell Ballard, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It was titled, As Women of God. I stopped my cleaning and read through the whole speech. I was so uplifted and touched that I set it aside to show Emma. Elder Ballard said, "The adversary is having a heyday distorting attitudes about gender and roles and families and individual worth....Today's popular culture...celebrates the sexy, saucy, socially aggressive woman." He then went on to say, "My deep desire is to clarify how our Heavenly Father feels about His daughters and what He expects of them." I was so thankful to read his wonderful words. I don't think it was a coincidence I found that pamphlet. In a world so very confused, I am so grateful for this Gospel and the voice of a prophet to show me the way.
When Emma came through the door after school, she told me that she had been working on her assignment. She is writing a paper against the march, even though she is having difficulty finding non-opinion sources to support her view like the teacher requires, but she is writing it anyway. I told her I was proud of her. It's not easy standing up for what you believe, but she is learning to be a woman of God. And I love her.
A few other goings on of the day: Lance got two shots at the doctor's office. Austin has soreness around the growth plate on one of his heels, and also some allergies and tonsil swelling/asthma stuff we are going to work on. Greg took the boys to Raiders basketball practice and helped coach. Emma made brownies for our house guests. My mom took Emma to Polynesian Dance and then they are meeting us at the concert. My dad is picking up Julia from her basketball practice and bringing her home. And if I'm not careful, Owen and Miles can get into a big ol' brawl--Owen's fault, Miles's intolerance for it. But life is moving on, very full and very happy. How did I land in this beautiful, wonderful life? I'm so thankful every day.
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