Ugh. My time in Young Women still haunts me even though we were released over two months ago, but I guess I'm getting the best of it all now. I don't need to help plan any activities, or think about the logistics of Girls Camp, but I still feel the love from some of the Young Women.
My favorite young woman (have I written about her before) is Isabel Spencer. She's the daughter of the young women's president with whom I served. When I first stepped into the Mia Maid class, I didn't know who she was because she never spoke. However, over the course of a year and a half, we became close friends, and I'm confident that our relationship will last through the years.
Isabel loves to laugh and joke around, and she discovered a cohort in me (I guess I have the social maturity of a teenager?). I knew if Isabel was at an activity (which she almost always was because her mother was), I would have a friend there, and the feeling was reciprocated. In my weekly newsletters, I frequently would give her a shout out, or ruthlessly mock her for something. She LOVED it, and I soon discovered that the other girls were a bit jealous of our friendship.
The best part though was that she always wanted to talk to me about boys in the stake, and she liked to get my thoughts and advice on dances....or on the BOYS at dances. After I was released, the texts didn't stop, and I love it when I get a notification that she's texting me again. Sometimes it's from school when something crazy happens, but it's usually on Sunday night. She texts in ALL CAPS and uses a lot of acronyms and slang, and she never uses more than five words per text, so I do my best to respond the same way so that I stay "hip to da kids" ;-). Here's a sample of our texts, talking about a dance and Charles, a really cute priest in our ward who is also a drug addict:
When she earned her Personal Progress last month, I was sitting up at the organ, and I was struck by the thought that the Young Women simply go up to the podium and shake the bishop's hand for earning their Personal Progress award, but the six boys in our ward who had earned their Eagle were having a Court of Honor that night at the church. I know that Personal Progress is not as difficult to earn as Eagle, but I still think it deserves more than just a handshake. So that night, I went home and looked up Swiss Army Knives and was delighted to find several with really fun designs--lemons, tacos, sardines, Paris, chili peppers--and I ordered her a taco one after giving her the themes and asking which theme represented her best. Of course she wanted to know why I wanted to know, but I didn't tell her. I just figured for all of the Eagle statues, and flags flown over the capitol, and money boys receive for earning their Eagles, I could at least give her a Swiss army knife for her hard work. (And I'm hoping she never mentions it to the other young women who also earned theirs before the program ended....)
About a week later, I got a five second video clip of her screaming into the camera lens, holding up her knife. She loved it (I knew she would), and a week after that, she asked me if I would be at church the next week (which was today). I told her that I would be there because I was teaching Relief Society. I also told her that I was thinking of bringing my chocolate chip cookies for the lesson because if the women didn't like my lesson, at least they could go home with a cookie and be happy. She then responded that if the cookies weren't vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free, salt-free and non-caloric, none of the moms would take one :-) Yes, this is Isabel. (I brought Haribo.)
So today, I was up playing prelude, and she comes up to me with a plateful of brownies, tells me happy birthday (while I'm playing) and gives me a big hug (while I'm playing). I looked down and couldn't help but smile when I saw written on the bottom of the birthday card: From your fun young woman ;-). Yep, that's Isabel. My very fun, and very thoughtful, young woman.
But it wasn't until I got home that I opened the card (I thought about waiting for my birthday, but I wanted to be able to respond to her).
This is why I love young women. I have a friend for life. While Isabel and I love to joke and laugh and talk about boys (she seriously wants all my advice), I had no idea that what I was doing was actually meaningful to her.
That calling was life-changing for me. I'm not sure that I'll ever be able to recreate that somewhere else.
My favorite young woman (have I written about her before) is Isabel Spencer. She's the daughter of the young women's president with whom I served. When I first stepped into the Mia Maid class, I didn't know who she was because she never spoke. However, over the course of a year and a half, we became close friends, and I'm confident that our relationship will last through the years.
Isabel loves to laugh and joke around, and she discovered a cohort in me (I guess I have the social maturity of a teenager?). I knew if Isabel was at an activity (which she almost always was because her mother was), I would have a friend there, and the feeling was reciprocated. In my weekly newsletters, I frequently would give her a shout out, or ruthlessly mock her for something. She LOVED it, and I soon discovered that the other girls were a bit jealous of our friendship.
The best part though was that she always wanted to talk to me about boys in the stake, and she liked to get my thoughts and advice on dances....or on the BOYS at dances. After I was released, the texts didn't stop, and I love it when I get a notification that she's texting me again. Sometimes it's from school when something crazy happens, but it's usually on Sunday night. She texts in ALL CAPS and uses a lot of acronyms and slang, and she never uses more than five words per text, so I do my best to respond the same way so that I stay "hip to da kids" ;-). Here's a sample of our texts, talking about a dance and Charles, a really cute priest in our ward who is also a drug addict:
When she earned her Personal Progress last month, I was sitting up at the organ, and I was struck by the thought that the Young Women simply go up to the podium and shake the bishop's hand for earning their Personal Progress award, but the six boys in our ward who had earned their Eagle were having a Court of Honor that night at the church. I know that Personal Progress is not as difficult to earn as Eagle, but I still think it deserves more than just a handshake. So that night, I went home and looked up Swiss Army Knives and was delighted to find several with really fun designs--lemons, tacos, sardines, Paris, chili peppers--and I ordered her a taco one after giving her the themes and asking which theme represented her best. Of course she wanted to know why I wanted to know, but I didn't tell her. I just figured for all of the Eagle statues, and flags flown over the capitol, and money boys receive for earning their Eagles, I could at least give her a Swiss army knife for her hard work. (And I'm hoping she never mentions it to the other young women who also earned theirs before the program ended....)
About a week later, I got a five second video clip of her screaming into the camera lens, holding up her knife. She loved it (I knew she would), and a week after that, she asked me if I would be at church the next week (which was today). I told her that I would be there because I was teaching Relief Society. I also told her that I was thinking of bringing my chocolate chip cookies for the lesson because if the women didn't like my lesson, at least they could go home with a cookie and be happy. She then responded that if the cookies weren't vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free, salt-free and non-caloric, none of the moms would take one :-) Yes, this is Isabel. (I brought Haribo.)
So today, I was up playing prelude, and she comes up to me with a plateful of brownies, tells me happy birthday (while I'm playing) and gives me a big hug (while I'm playing). I looked down and couldn't help but smile when I saw written on the bottom of the birthday card: From your fun young woman ;-). Yep, that's Isabel. My very fun, and very thoughtful, young woman.But it wasn't until I got home that I opened the card (I thought about waiting for my birthday, but I wanted to be able to respond to her).
This is why I love young women. I have a friend for life. While Isabel and I love to joke and laugh and talk about boys (she seriously wants all my advice), I had no idea that what I was doing was actually meaningful to her.
That calling was life-changing for me. I'm not sure that I'll ever be able to recreate that somewhere else.
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| She knows how much I am NOT Utahn, and how I mock those who are. |
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