My kids have a favorite Strawberry Shortcake book. We picked it up at the Deseret Industries [the Church’s thrift store — more info here]. It’s called Strawberry Shortcake and Sad Mr. Sun. The Strawberry kids write a heart-shaped note to the sun because he’s grumpy and hasn’t been shining in their valley for a while.

It says:

For days, and days,

We’ve missed your warm rays.

We thank you, dear Sun,

For all that you’ve done.

It’s been a trial –

Come back, and we’ll smile!

There was a while there recently when we had a lot of cloudy weather, and I didn’t really realize how much I had missed the sun when it came out. I’m a pretty content person in whatever circumstances I find myself in, but those couple of days with sunshine were amazing. I felt brighter, more ambitious, more perky. The kids played outside with reckless abandon. We walked to preschool. There was a spring in our step that was directly related to that dear sun shining in the sky. (Not having to worry about coats, hats, boots, gloves, etc. helped, too!)

It makes me think about my relationship with the Son. I think it’s very similar. I’m pretty content and upbeat by nature, but when I really focus on Christ and bask in the warmth of His Spirit, there’s a new level of happiness that I can enjoy. The great thing about Christ’s light, too, is that it’s available year round, regardless of the season.

So, if I could write a note on a heart-shaped leaf and send it to the sun on the string of a balloon, I would. Instead, I’ll refocus and show my thanks to Heavenly Father for His Son, and for this season of the year and this season of my life.

The post First Person: Thank You, Sun appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

She loves traveling. “I love diving into a culture and learning what it is like to be a part of it. I love eating, talking and having fun. Lots of laughs, lots of smiles.” Sister Slight lived in Chile for four years but has also traveled to Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. “No matter where I go, the Church is the same where ever I am. This is a worldwide church!”

“A lot of my conversion to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints came while I was in High School. During that time, I realized that if I wanted good grades, and be sane and happy while taking a very heavy load of classes, I needed to rely on the Lord. I realized I could not do it myself. I realized that I needed to read my scriptures and pray before taking a test, writing essays or found my self struggling to do it on my own. I learned that I wanted to depend on the Lord because I realized after experimenting with prayer and study that He can make my life better than I can make it.”

“Throughout all of my studies, I learned to depend on the Lord and to let Him help me with temporal and spiritual things. In one prayer I told God my issue. I had a paper due the next day and I didn’t know what to write it on. I needed help. Despite wanting to make use of every single minute to work on my essay, I decided to read my scriptures. The paper I was asked to write was on the book, “Wide Sargasso Sea.” After praying and reading my scriptures, I immediately knew to write my essay on the Natural Man. That human nature is carnal. The main character in this book was stuck in the mode of satisfying his immediate desires and that was depriving him of a greater perspective on life. I believe God wants to help us both with our spiritual needs but also our every day problems as He helped me with this essay.”

“My high school English teacher taught me to make the most of my life and that comes through education. She taught me not to let complacency or laziness get in the way of making a difference in any place you may be. I believe in education, especially for women. Finding what makes us happy and gives us fulfillment is what God wants for all of His children.”

Sister Slight’s parents currently live in Qatar, and attend the International Ward in Doha Qatar. Despite not being able to preach the gospel openly, her parents are happy to have a place to worship and still find that people are drawn to the religion even though members obey the law not to proselyte.

The post Mormon Women on a Mission: Sister Slight appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.