Mind the Gap

This morning, for my scripture study, I was reading the conference Ensign from November. I read a talk by Barbara Thompson called "Mind the Gap." This talk teaches some ways that we sometimes allow gaps between what we should do and what we are doing.

One area she discusses is minding the gap between completion of young women and full participation in relief society. When I read that I felt a sharp pang of guilt. It was nearly 15 years ago that I graduated from young women into relief society...but I have NEVER been a fully participated member of that organization. Oh, I do the things I am supposed to do, and go through the motions, but I have never embraced relief society as a part of who I am.

Now, in fairness, I have been in either primary or young women for all but a few months of that 15 years so I haven't really spent time in relief society (and I have never complained about that...and I'm not anxious for that to change). But the truth is, the women scare me!!! I am a big chicken when it comes to adults. I am painfully shy with people I don't know, and very awkward. Youth and children and even old people are a joy to me, but people close to my age are intimidating.

However, I see this gap in my life and can see that it is time that I improve. I have always done my visiting teaching and tried to attend enrichment (thanks to a talk by President Hinckley once that said I was supposed to), but I need to become a sister, a real family member there.

I have some work to do.