Here is a guest post written by my husband… enjoy!
Power, authority, and responsibility go hand-in-hand. Authority implies responsibility and the power to fulfill such responsibility. Responsibility presupposes possession of authority and power. Without authority and its accompanying responsibility, power is tyrannical. Finally, one can have no responsibility for something over which one has neither power nor authority. The point is, these concepts are inextricably linked. Let’s apply this to the problem in public education or what I’ll call “the village school system”.
Supporters of the failing village school system insist that more money will solve all of its problems. When one points out that private schools perform better with far fewer funds, village-school apologists will quickly point out that such success is largely due to parental involvement. Here’s precisely where collectivist ideology has a negative effect.
We’re all familiar with the modern mantra on the political Left, which insists…
So today I cried after church. I cry a little bit after thinking about it. Why you ask? It’s silly really but I missed my old singles ward and particularly my old bishop. I almost always had a good relationship with my singles bishops. Not anything too clingy but just they knew my struggles and I could go to them when I was hurting for advice and counsel.
I have found that to be almost impossible in family wards, both that I have been in. They’ve been kind but not the sense of ownership and stewardship over me that I saw in singles ward. As someone who doesn’t have much priesthood in my life I really miss that presence. My father is really my only source for guidance and he is in California which sometimes works, sometimes not.
Today I wanted to talk to the bishop about Mothers Day. Last year I went to the singles ward for Mothers Day and it was so fabulous and uplifting. Mothers Day in family wards is rightfully a celebration of mothers. Normally that is a good thing. I also don’t think that everything should be about me. The Moms deserve their moment in the sun. No doubt about it.
Here’s where I struggle. First, you hear on Mothers Day a million talks about how nurturing and motherhood is an innate part of womanhood. This makes me feel like we all have to be what I call ‘ooey and gooey’. I’m just not that way and it is certainly not natural. I know God accepts me but that doesn’t stop me from bristling when I hear those kinds of talks.
Second, it is a fact of my faith that you must get married and have a family in order to reach the highest level of exaltation. That is true for both men and women, so a righteous married woman is further down that path to be with Heavenly Father than me, a righteous single woman. You can say no, no, you can make covenants later. Well, that is later and they get to make those covenants now. Sigh…
Third, I know the chances of me being able to have a baby on this earth are extremely small and the older I get the smaller they get, so the talks about how great it is to have children can be painful. I’m not the most baby-yearning person in the world but it does hurt sometimes that the option probably won’t even be available to me.
Fourth, Mothers Day is a day where you have to hear over and over again ‘look what righteous thing you don’t have’ and I can only take so much of that. We basically put motherhood on the same level as the priesthood; however, a man can progress in the priesthood through their own righteous activities; where a woman can only get so far. This can be very frustrating. It is true but frustrating.
Now, no need to panic. I know the church is true but that doesn’t mean my life doesn’t feel discouraging at times.
So, today I felt sad. Sad about Mothers Day and I wanted to talk about whether I should come next week to do my calling or go to singles ward again like I did last year. I wanted to talk to the bishop and get some counsel on how to deal with this week every year. When a meeting proved impossible, I felt sad. I think that’s ok to be sad. Its part of life.
Luckily I have a Heavenly Father who knows me and loves me and an earthly father who is ALWAYS behind me 100%. Still, Mothers Day is hard and I miss my old singles ward and my bishop. No getting around that. Missing is a natural human reaction and I am oh so human. I am not like Moroni and able to cope without both Godly and human support. Sigh…
Btw- I have the best Mother a girl could have. Happy Mothers Day Mom!
Rachel's Musings 