Five Things For Friday, 29th Edition

It is that time of year again, when people start looking for ideas for their Relief Society Birthday parties! I thought that since I have some new readers since last year that I’d share the links to the two scripts that I have written. The first is a re-enactment of the First Relief Society Meeting. I went to the church history museum in Salt Lake City and transcribed Eliza R. Snow’s notes from the Relief Society ledger and then wrote up a re-enactment based on her notes. We did it two years ago in my ward and it was really incredible. Here is me dressed up like Emma.

Also, last year I wrote a script about the 15 Women Who Have Led the Relief Society, which is a program with a brief introduction to each of the General Relief Society Presidents. It is really touching and so easy to put together. You are welcome to use my scripts and if you perform them I’d love to see pictures!

Last week was my first time back to modern dance in 6 months. I wasn’t able to dance with the modern dance company I usually dance with because my hips were so bad the last few months of my pregnancy that I couldn’t walk very easily… let alone leap! So it was really wonderful to go back and move my body for a few hours. I’ve been much more happier and “with it” the past week, and I think it has a lot to do with going back to dance. I was telling Jon that I think that I’ve been living in my in head too much lately, being so focused on (and stressed) about all the tasks and things I need to get done, that I’ve been really disconnected from my body. It has been so nice to have a few hours each week that I can just focus on “getting my head back into my body” and feeling a little more like a living soul than a disembodied spirit. I really need that right now.

I’ve been in charge of the posts for The Gift of Giving Life blog this week and there were some really good posts this week.

On Monday I shared a guest post called “The Gift of Eve” by Jeanna Stay which I absolutely loved. She said:

Eve began her life in the Garden of Eden. She knew what it was to have no pain, no hunger, no struggle. And then she left that Garden to bear children and to bless the earth with her seed. At first glance, I would think, “Wow, I bet she missed Eden (especially during hour #16 of labor).” I think we often believe the state in the Garden was better, nicer, happier. And yet, do you know what she testified?

And Eve, [Adam’s] wife … was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient. And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters. (Moses 5:11–12)

She knew them both. She knew the Garden and she knew mortality. And she preferred mortality. She blessed God for giving it to her. And in doing so, she blessed all of us. Eve’s gift is more than just the life she gave her posterity. Eve’s gift is the joy she found in doing so. It is her example of courage in the face of the unknown. It is a testimony that, even when life is hard (and it so often is), mortality is a gift so great that she rejoiced in it and praised God.

Wednesday I shared a post I wrote called “The Song of the Soul: Singing to Your Baby”:

Over the years I’ve pondered a lot about why that song is so special to me but I haven’t ever been able to explain it. Then a few weeks ago a good friend sent me this quote by N’Shama Sterling. She said: “When a woman in a certain African tribe knows she is pregnant, she goes out into the wilderness with a few friends and together they pray and meditate until they hear the song of the child. They recognize that every soul has its own vibration that expresses its unique flavor and purpose. When the women attune to the song, they sing it out loud. They then return to the tribe and teach the song of the child to the village. When the child is born, the community gathers and sings the child’s song to him or her. Later, when the child enters education,

And today I shared Shuana’s (one of my modern dance friends from BYU) birth story entitled “After the Trial of My Faith”

It was no great miracle, but it was miraculous to me. I went to bed Sunday night thinking there was no way we could birth at the birth center. Monday morning I awoke essentially in labor, and Heavenly Father put the best midwife in my path to make my desires possible. I don’t think the location of my child’s birth is eternally significant. What is eternally significant to me is that I now know that I am capable of exercising my faith and calling down the powers of heaven to help me and my family.And I learned that lesson in the most beautiful way, through birth.

Hop on over and check them out!

I know that this post has been making the rounds on Facebook but I loved it so much that I just thought I’d share it in case you missed it. It made me laugh on a hard day when I really needed to laugh. And I am seriously thinking about hanging these words of wisdom on my fridge, just as a reminder,

“Carry on Warrior, only six hours till bedtime.”

Amen!

Sending you all my love and hoping that you have a wonderful weekend!

If you want to link to your own “Five Things for Friday” post you can use the tool below to add your link. 1) Please link to the URL of your blog post and not your main blog and 2) Please include a link back here.