This weekend I had the opportunity to attend the LDS Womens Conference which is broadcast to LDS stake centers (church buildings) everywhere.  I grabbed a bite to eat with a few of my closest friends and we headed to attend the conference together.  I can’t tell you how sweet of an experience this was to share with these dear friends of mine.  It was such a perfect way to spend the evening.  And as always, the conference was so moving and edifying.  There is just something about sitting in a room full of sisters of our church, knowing that all around the world we are connected as sisters in this way, listening to inspired messages of strong women and leaders of our church.  It’s an experience I can’t wait to share with my own girls. (When they turn 8, they will join me for this conference.)

Carol Mckonkie said, “One of our best blessings is that we are together, and we have each other.” In reference to us sisters.  I really loved this quote and have thought a lot about it ever since.  As women, competition and cattiness crowds our relationships with each other.  I have seen it plague the groups of friends I have had over the years.  If we could put all of that aside, all of our insecurities to rest, we truly are some of our own best blessings.

This got me thinking to a time not so many years ago.  I was kind of a mean girl.  (I hope that sentence surprises you.)  I hadn’t realized I was a mean girl at all, until I realized that I had been engaging in the same gossip and drama that mean girls do.  I had friends that were mean girls, and our connections were based on other people, things, or petty gossip.  It was a real rude awakening to me, and I immediately wanted to change.  I began looking at all the relationships I had in my life and the things that we talked about.  I started making improvements in making deeper, more purposeful connections.  I let relationships go that weren’t good for my life.  I started therapy to learn more about myself.  I gave up gossip for lent that year, which changed everything for me.  I intentionally changed my own dialogue and thoughts.

I am still working hard on this, and I always will be.  Insecurity creeps up in me sometimes and gives me unkind thoughts, but I am more aware of them and can quickly shoo them away.  I am also more keen to notice when a friend may not be the best suited friend for me, and that is quite alright.  I don’t need to be friends with everyone, and I certainly don’t need to be liked by everyone, and I’m not.  But the friends that I do have, and the people I surround myself with are the ones who keep my life moving forward and inspire me to do better, always.  They bring comic relief and strong support when I need it.  Our connections are based on talking about our ideas and sharing our hearts.  Those are the types of connections I’m interested in these days.  Life is too short to keep up with the jones’s!

So when Carol Mckonkie said “One of our best blessings is that we are together, and we have each other.” for maybe the first time in my life I could completely relate to what she was saying.  The women in my life, my sweet friends, my sisters of this world are one of my greatest blessings. We are together, and we have each other.

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This weekend is our church’s general conference.  The leaders of our church talk about different topics of the world and give insight and guidance to us all.  It’s a really special weekend, and one that always serves me well.  I invite you to join our family in watching it this weekend! More info about general conference HERE and a viewing schedule HERE.