We got a new Relief Society presidency (Relief Society is our women’s organization and each congregation has a presidency) a few months ago and they started a fun tradition of having a monthly dinner for anyone having a birthday that month. I could’ve sworn October was my birthday. And November. December too. January just had to be my birthday!
For real though, my birthday is this month and I finally got to go to our Relief Society president’s house to enjoy some good company and delicious taco soup (actually, two kinds) with all the toppings you could want. We had a woman come who is new to the area and raising her niece (who lost both of her parents due to domestic violence many years ago – her father killed her mother) and she is amazingly positive despite everything she has been through.
Three of us came with babies and our friend’s sweet daughter kept them entertained for the most part. It was fun to watch our babies interact with each other and compare their different personalities. Several times the other women relieved us of our mothering duties by walking around with them. That’s always an uplifting experience.
My friend who I have over for dinner every month, she came along too and shared part of her conversion story. It all started when she was staying with her aunt and uncle and because they told her she couldn’t go outside without adult supervision (because she was accident prone), she decided to run away. Her cousin followed her to keep her safe and they ended up being noticed by a nice family who took them to a “play” in Palmyra, New York after feeding them dinner. They took them back to her aunt and uncle and she was so excited about the play, she asked if she could get her punishment over with so she could tell them about it.
For days she did nothing but talk about it and her aunt and uncle finally took her to see it again. It was our church’s pageant that is put on every year and she said she believed every word was true. Her parents thought she was too young to convert and made her wait. Through the years she investigated a lot of different churches and after many other interesting experiences was led to the church again and baptized.
It’s absolutely fascinating when she tells it. I can’t do it justice! The women missed the most amazing part of the story, which I will share later.
We all had good laughs, including when another friend shared how her son reacted when she said if anything ever happened to her and her husband, he would go to live with Grandma and Grandpa. He said, “I’m going to go pack now!” Apparently he loves it there. A little too much.
We had a wonderful time and it was great to get to know each other more. Why can’t every month be my birthday?
Add A Comment