Sunday, September 13, 2009

Glorious Friendship

Today in Relief Society (it's an L.D.S. thing ... go find one and ask about it!) the lesson was on Friendship.
How Glorious Are Faithful, Just and True Friends
It linked very well with our Sunday School lesson on
A Mission of Saving
as the sister teaching the lesson put out the question of
"Have you ever felt some one in your life "saved" you?"
There was story after story told by members in our ward of sisters (as in we're all brothers and sisters in Heaven sense) being people's life lines. Of how those connections, those friendships had been peoples "life line" at one point or another. Sometimes something as simple as a meal being delivered or as complex as going on a "child care" rotation for a family who's mother was in the hospital with cancer.
It really struck me in Relief Society as the teacher began her lesson on being friends ... true friends to others and how we as women truly need that connection.
I think that women need friends. We need the interaction, the warmth, the stability, the love from other women. We need to know that we are found to be of worth by our fellow "sisters".
This, I think, is why it hurts me most to not have women I can call on "whenever" here in Texas.
I was discussing this issue with someone I do spend time with her in Texas from time to time when her schedule permits it and was confronted by a painful truth - it's hard for married L.D.S. women to be friends with another woman who is essentially "single".
It's difficult for married ladies to ask another lady whose husband has no interest in social intermingling at all to come to "Couple Game Nights", "Double Dates", "Couples Socials" ... because I do not have a second who will come. Or if he does, he makes it incredibly awkward cause he really does not want to be there.
I'd ask about "Ladies Night Out", but because I have not had any interaction with other ladies ... I do not know who I would even approach.
My ward has changed so much over the last year, I can barely name a hand full of sisters.

I find this a problem with the ladies I have met through my school volunteering too. These ladies make friends as "couples" with their husbands. They go on camping trips with other families, they go to baseball games with other families, they have dinner dates with other families.

All of which my "second" would forcefully object to.

I'm so screwed in the friend department.

5 comments:

Mandy said...

you need to live in Milk River, You would have lots of cool people to hang out with....with your with out your "second", but then you've met most of them you know how cool we all are :)

Sally said...

That totally sucks, Krista. I can totally see how you cannot hook up when your second half is totally unwilling. I say, tell some ladies your problem and start doing things with just the girls.

Jenie said...

I'm guessing that with so many new sisters in your ward there are those who are looking for friends, just for themselves not as couples. I know I am.

Kari Jones Terwelp said...

I'll be your friend! I'm not in Texas, but I'm in the continental USA, which is close....ish.

Lindsey Rae said...

I think it's also hard to do the whole socializing thing when you are a married couple without kids...everyone has kids and so when you don't, you are kind of "single" too. It is hard when people are coming and going and depending on your calling, you sometimes don't get to talk to people much on Sunday.

I'm supposed to decorate for some RS thing next Saturday and they said I could ask as many people as I want to help, but I really only know of one person at church I would be comfortable asking as a friend and she is due to have a baby any moment. I don't know hardly anyone either, so don't feel too bad. It's not you...it just is...what it is.