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Charly

The LDS culture certainly has ideas about a typical Relief Society woman. She can sew, quilt, cook, bake, garden, can, craft, decorate, sing or play an instrument, keep house, and raise a perfect family. The LDS comedy The RM makes fun of Relief Society and its more ridiculous traditions, such as elaborate centerpieces, cute handouts, and an overflow of interesting dinners for new moms.

Charly (the book), on the other hand, makes fun of this ideal in another light. Charly, a convert who does not fit this Mormon woman description at all, admits she plays a tape recording of the vacuum when a fellow Relief Society sister calls so that the sister thinks she's cleaning her house. However, she is a Relief Society sister in the true sense: she provides relief to those in need. She befriends the Native American sisters in her ward and strengthens them spiritually.

When I sometimes feel inadequate because I cannot sew or craft or can my own peaches, I remember Charly and the lesson that what makes a good wife, mother, and friend is not her homemaking skills but her spiritual gifts. Being a righteous woman is far more important and necessary than being an artistic one. We women ought to measure our success by our spirituality and measure our worth by Heavenly Father's love. We need to fulfill the purpose of Relief Society, as stated in the declaration. Of course, we are supposed to use our talents and learn new skills, but these do not define who we are. We are daughters of God with divine worth, qualities, and potential, and remembering and acting upon that knowledge is what qualifies us for the blessings of heaven.
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Anonymous said…
no one woman can do it all- you certainly have enough talents and gifts to share and fill in the gaps other sisters don't have-DAD
March 15, 2011 at 1:14 AM
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