I was about 13 when the movie Apollo 13 came out. There is a scene in that movie where Jim’s wife has to go tell her mother-in-law that her son may never make it home. Then that old woman leans forward and says something along the lines of, “If they could find a way to make a washing machine fly, my Jimmy could land it.”

That scene hit me in a pretty powerful way. To me it seemed that in a moment that could easily be dominated by fear and worry, this mother had only faith. I’ve often thought since then that I want to be that kind of woman.

As you might expect, I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; in other words, I am Mormon and have been for my entire life. My mother sacrificed quite a lot and risked being disowned to join this church. Her mother, my grandmother, is an incredible woman who married an Army man at the age of 16, moved far away from her home and family and went on to raise 4 beautiful daughters. Her mother’s mother was a farm wife who raised 11 kids through blood, sweat, and–I am certain–tears. These are women who have survived The Great Depression. These are women who sent husbands, sons, and brothers to World War II and Vietnam. These are incredible women.

I point this out because I recognize that “Mormon” and “Woman” are two separate things. Mormon or not, women share similar desires, joys, heartaches, insecurities, and love regardless of religion. I think we all feel that bond, and are aware of the power in our unity. Look at the movement we’ve made for breast cancer research and other causes. I love being a woman!

I also use the examples of my mother and grandmother and great-grandmother to share my knowledge that Mormon women do not have the market cornered on faith in Jesus Christ nor on raising strong families.

This is why when the question: What does being a Mormon Woman mean to you? was posed, it was one I couldn’t immediately answer. I thought about it while I washed my dishes.  As I folded laundry.  As I swept the floor, made the bed and scrubbed the toilet.

It seemed obvious to me that just as much as I am a woman –I am also a Mormon. It is in my very core. It is in my life, every day. It’s in what I do and what I don’t do. And the question Why? is equally as obvious to me: Because I know that the teachings of this church are true. I’ve studied, read, prayed, and I know. But, even with all that it still didn’t seem to answer what being a Mormon Woman means to me.

Then it clicked. It’s faith. It’s obedience. It’s more than simply knowing the teachings of this faith, it’s that I live them. Daily. It’s realizing that God has a purpose and a plan for my life and that His plan for me is perfect. It’s the promise of not only eternal life but an eternal family to share it with me. It’s about who I have the potential to become.

This gives my life meaning, even in my day-to-day tasks that may seem menial. There might not be any significant consequences for having a clean toilet or folded laundry but my family is eternal and in serving them I become a more loving and Christ-like person. Being a Mormon Woman, to me, means that I can become the kind of person who can meet terrible challenges with a heart full of faith and love.

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For more Portraits of Mormon Women, please click here.

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“Something’s gotta give,” Micke thought after she failed several of her college courses last semester. Between church, homeschooling, her own college courses, and caring for her four kids alone while her husband was away with the Navy, something really did have to give.

And something did give. Her desire for perfection.

“My life is crazy. My floor is dirty, I have piles of laundry. But I am happy because I know that I am a daughter of God.”

A few months ago, Micke felt the prompting to go back to school. She spoke with her husband and he said, “If it’s a prompting you need to follow it.” So she signed up for classes and failed miserably. Micke felt her failure was actually part of the prompting, “If I had not failed, I would not have been able to I realize that I was overwhelmed.”

Micke decided to stop homeschooling her children and enrolled them in public school. “After I enrolled my kids in public school, I felt better about all of the issues I had with my children’s education. I wanted the opportunity to teach my kids to be independent learners, and I got that opportunity during the years I offered homeschooling to my children. After a few days in the new school, my fears about them adjusting were gone. My fears about them being behind were gone. We got some really great teachers. I hit it off with them immediately. The kids made friends right away. To me that was that was a confirmation that I had made the right choice. I definitely know that enrolling my kids in public school was the right choice for my family, so I am so thankful for that prompting.”

When asked what she really wanted to share with other women Micke replied, “I want to let other women know that there isn’t a perfection standard. Just because my house isn’t perfect or dinner is not a five-course meal does not affect my worth. That does not change how Heavenly Father sees me. I feel like I have reached that point, that I am in a season in my life with my husband gone, and me alone, that it comes down to me and Heavenly Father. I’ve reached a point where I’m at peace with myself and what God feels about me.

“I understand the feelings of inadequacy women have,” Micke continues. “I’ve looked across the aisles at church and school and seen families whose kids are well-behaved and their husband is home and they are all dressed immaculately, and I’ve thought, “Why isn’t my life like that?” But now, I’m OK with the fact that my situation is different than theirs. It all goes back to my priorities. Is it more important that my floor is spotless or that I sit down and play a board game with my kids? Is it more important that dinner is made from scratch or we got to sit together and read books, or take the dog for a walk or went for family bike rides? In 10 years from now I want my kids to remember how we watched movies every Friday night and ate popcorn until we passed out. If I relieve one woman’s perfection burden today, than I will have achieved my goal with this interview.”

When asked what it means to be a Mormon Woman Micke responded, “Being a woman in the Church, I feel like I have a better understanding of who I am, why I’m here and what my purpose is. I have a better understanding of how important my role as a mother is. I have a better understanding of what an impact I have as a mother to my children in teaching them the gospel foundation I set for them in their lives and how important that is. I feel like I have a better understanding as my role as a wife. I am a partner to my husband. We know that our marriage doesn’t end here when we die. Knowing that there is something else after this life for our marriage makes me want to work harder here to make my marriage better. I think that those aspects of our religion are huge for me personally. I think it has given my life more purpose because I know there is a reward for the hard work here.”

Micke has lived her entire life in Wisconsin, USA and currently lives on the outskirts of Milwaukee. She has been married to her husband, Justin, for 11 years and has four children ranging from 9 years to 9 months. Justin is currently serving in the United States Navy as an airman and is considering moving forward into Officer Candidate school.

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Amanda writes:

“I love to use old jeans and flannel to make “rag” quilts.  They are perfect for camping, picnics and laying in the grass and reading a book on.  The good thing about this type of quilt is that I don’t have to be really precise, as you do in piecing a quilt.  It doesn’t matter if my lines are crooked, or don’t match up evenly because the clipped fringe hides any mistakes.  I also enjoy making these because they are fast, and warm.  I always feel a great boost to my self-esteem when I have created something with my two hands.  It brings me pride and happiness.”

Pauline says this about her quilt, entitled “Waiting to Hear”

“My husband was in the process of searching for a job. He had applied to many different locations, and I was very anxious to have news of where we would end up moving. To help pass the time, to keep busy while we waited, I created this quilt. I designed the pattern myself after learning about paper piecing.”

Wendy created the following two quilts decades ago…one with pictures drawn by grandchildren for their grandma (Wendy’s parents):

And this one created for her in-laws, including pictures of their deceased parents — a family history quilt:

Michelle had an idea to pull together multiple photos from her husband’s travels. She says this about her creation:

“It’s not your typical quilt. It’s made mostly out of jersey fabric (not a good choice, but I had purchased some on sale and wanted to use it). I also used old jeans (denim) to frame the pictures. Not being a quilter, I didn’t really know what I was doing; I sort of made it up as I went. It was a lot of work! But my husband loves the quilt and it did capture his  wanderlust. Note that I even included a playbill from a Broadway play and a plane ticket! ”

Mary created these quilts for her grandchildren one year for Christmas. This picture only includes three, but she made nineteen of them!

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*How do you create? Share your creations with us! Send us a photo with an explanation to ‘mormonwoman’ (or ‘mormonwomen’) at ‘gmail’ dot ‘com’. We’d love more pictures of Mormon life as well for future Glimpses photo essays.

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The things I enjoy most include: people, history, traveling, hiking, exploring, discovery, science, reading, backpacking, and basically anything outdoorsy. My major in college and my career go along with my interests — I hike through the wilderness conducting environmental surveys. I am a proud archaeologist!

I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but my belief in it didn’t just come at one time. It has been gradually building. I notice that the times my testimony takes the biggest step is when I’m outside. At one time, I was digging out on the Arizona Strip (just north of the Grand Canyon) and every day before work I would stand on a ledge and look at the world around me. I would think about the beauty that I am surrounded by and the fact that it is here because of God’s grace. It is here for me, it is here for me to love, enjoy, and protect. He created this gorgeous world for us because he loves us.

Recently, I was recently hiking in Arches National Park (Moab, UT) and I went on a night hike to Delicate Arch. It was a full moon and as I came over the rise, and saw that majestic arch standing still in the moon light, I had the same thought come to me: God loves me. I knew I couldn’t  look at something like that and not think that there was a higher power out there.

I love being a Mormon Woman because I know I can still be myself and believe in the restored gospel. I believe that the church has given me stability, hope, and self-worth. When my life is spinning out of control I know that there is one constant that I can hold onto. I believe and know that I am a child of God. How can I not have self worth if I believe that? As long as I know that I am a child of God then there is nothing that can bring me down!

For more Portraits of Mormon Women, please click here.

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Karen attended Brigham Young University and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education. She has taught school for 32 years. She said: “I always had the support of my husband and children, and I always felt that I was supposed to be a teacher.”

Right now, Karen serves as the Relief Society President in her ward. She has served in many areas in the Church, and she says that the more she serves in the Church, the more she realizes how important each calling is –how each one was the experience she needed. However, if she could pick, she would serve as the Primary (children’s Sunday classes) pianist!

Karen loves to read almost every kind of book –from Jane Austen to Harry Potter. She also loves to relax by watching movies with her husband. She enjoys hiking and skiing, although she doesn’t do either very often. Some of her other favorite things to do include: scrapbook, spending time with her family, doing family history, and traveling.

One time, Karen had an experience which changed her life:

“I remember one time when I was pregnant and had a miscarriage. I prayed for someone to come and my visiting teacher showed up. My husband was out of town, and I was hemorrhaging pretty badly. My visiting teacher was a nurse and she had her husband give me a blessing. She stayed with me all night, because I wouldn’t go to the hospital because my insurance wouldn’t cover it. She took me to the doctor’s office the next morning. I was in pretty bad shape, but I felt the Lord with me through the night in the form of that wonderful visiting teacher.”

For Karen, the Plan of Salvation is so wonderful! She says that only a loving Heavenly Father would have such a plan. She also knows that she is a child of God who knows her and loves her. On being a Mormon woman, Karen says:

“I have never felt that we as women were less important than men in the eyes of our Father in Heaven. He has blessed us with the power of creation. He has given us the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the Priesthood is such a blessing in our lives. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and I love the peace it brings into my life. I’m grateful for that blessing and I wish everyone could hear about the gospel and could know what I know. It gives my life such purpose!”

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And enjoy below a video about one of the scenes.

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