A few weeks ago I received a call from my relief society president! I'll be honest if I knew it was her I would have screened my call! Anyhow, upon answering, she told me that she had been thinking about me lately and had a huge favor to ask of me. She told me how outgoing I seemed and how she noticed that I am always smiling. She then proceeded to ask me to teach a lesson on fast Sunday in relief society. For those of you that know me well you probably see a few things wrong with this picture! 1) I'm sure you are imagining me with a look of horror on my face...you'd be right! 2) you know that I am not as outgoing as I seem...in fact 3) the smiling and the outgoing thing are all just for show...have you ever heard the term "fake it till you make it"? Yea, that's me! 4) you would also know that I don't speak in public.
I'll give you one, okay, two guesses as to how this conversation ended....
I said, Sure! Why not, I have nothing to lose right? These women don't know me...maybe this would give them a chance to get to know me better!
Another thing to know...I was on my way out the door to go on vacation for a week and half and would not return till the day before I was supposed to teach!!
SO, fast forward a few days...I've spent time reading my scriptures...studying conference talks and trying my hardest to follow the spirit...I really didn't know what to teach on! Finally, I received an email for my sister-in-law with the answer! She forwarded me a link to
Elder Dallin H Oaks talk Good, Better, Best. That was it!
I spent the next few days mulling over the talk...gathering some ideas but not really working on my lesson. When I finally got home, I sat down at my computer and I don't think I've ever learned so much about myself, my family and the choices I've made and will continue to make.
I encourage you to read this talk. I've linked to it above...Read it. Think about it and then consider this example I used in class...keeping in mind that I am not the perfect example of this...I am trying to be better and trying to do my best however, I still have a lifetime of learning ahead of me!
When I was 7 ½ months pregnant with our youngest my husband was laid off. We were living in Oregon, where the unemployment rate at the time was 12%. I remember feeling panicked...not quite sure what to do. Cole searched for work for weeks and months! His parents own 25 acres and have lots of animals...one of which was a milk cow, his mom would milk morning and night and then sell the raw milk to customers....and they paid a pretty penny for that unpasteurized fresh milk. She offered the cow and the customers to us. Cole took over the milking immediately...we wouldn't have made it much longer with out some money coming in. We made ends meet, barely...but we were surviving. Cole continued to search for work....we both attended the temple often, hoping we would be given some sort of guidance. The answers we were receiving were hard and tricky, we weren't quite sure how Alaska was to play into our lives but that was the answer. Cole Continued to search for work, while milking the cow, and even searched for work in Alaska. 7 months after his initial layoff...7 months of milking the cow...we finally received our final answer. We got a phone call from a family member telling us about a job with the company he was working for...and they were hiring out of Anchorage. We played with the idea of the job for two days...decided there was nothing to lose...and applied on a Sunday. Cole interviewed Tuesday morning...was offered the job Wednesday afternoon...and was training the following Monday morning. By taking that job....we gave up everything! His family lives in Medford, My family lives in medford....it's where we were both raised....it's our childhood....our young adult lives....it's where we were married...where our kids were born...it's our happiness and dreams it's our trials and sadness. It's where we built our family. But we gave it up....we knew without a shadow of a doubt that that is what we were to do....as SCARY as this adventure was to us....as hard as it would be....we gave up everything because we knew it was what Heavenly Father had planned for us.
Dallin H Oaks said....We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
I feel that this is what we did....although Cole was making money by milking the cow...it wasn't what was best for our family...it was good as we were paying our bills and getting by. But this job is what is better! Although we had family near....an that was good, it is best that Cole and I are relying more on each other. That we are having to branch out from our safety net for family and friends and meet new people and make new friends...that is best!
And in case you were wondering...my lesson went well! I feel really good about what I was able to share with the sister...and about the conversations that were had during the lesson. My nerves stayed at bay and I was able to speak clearly and slowly! Would I teach, again?...that's still to be determined!
