Paintings and other images of women gathering at a well have come down to us through the ages. They are very appealing to me. I relate to them because I like to gather with good women and learn from them. Typically, women enjoy getting together to socialize and to exchange information and ideas. Over the years, the gathering point in many lands has moved from the well to a quilting frame, or the back fence, or the telephone, or the book club, and now the Internet.
Speaking of the Internet, have you heard about the “Hairnet”? The “Hairnet” is how I sometimes refer to the hair salon I patronize where I frequently learn something interesting or useful. Often times the conversation is light-hearted and fun. Sometimes it's philosophical. Other times practical information is shared.
A few weeks ago one of the stylists told us that her teenage son came home one night from an activity and announced that he had bad news—he had dropped his new, expensive, multi-functioning cell phone in a swimming pool and it no longer worked. Someone at the party reminded him that rice absorbs water and recommended that he place the cell phone in an airtight bag with some rice. So, at home he did just that, and the next morning the rice was moist and puffy and his phone worked. The Hairnet had lived up to its name once again—you never know when such a “household hint” is just what you need to know!
As members of the Church, we women are fortunate to have frequent association with good women who share similar values and principles. Relief Society with its Sunday meetings and its Home, Family, and Personal Enrichment Program is a bottomless well of instruction and edification.
Women's retreats are becoming increasingly popular. There are delightful, small, casual gatherings of mothers and daughters, sisters, and special friends. There are also large-scale group meetings sponsored by various organizations with carefully structured programs and impressive agendas.
Education Weeks on LDS Church university campuses where thousands gather to learn offer three to four days of instruction at its very best. Some of the classes are later televised over the BYU channels, and thus can be enjoyed in many homes.
Meridian Magazine provides a remarkable connection for women in all parts of the world with just a click of a computer key. Meridian 's compilation of offerings by experts in a wide variety of fields teaches us, answers our questions, and helps us meet life's challenges. And it is all available on a daily basis. For countless women, especially those who are far from home or who live in remote areas, it is a lifeline.
Whether the gathering consists of two women or twenty thousand, whether it is in person or broadcast via satellite, there is edification and enrichment available to women everywhere. It has been my blessing throughout life to have drunk deeply from many rich wells of knowledge. I marvel that so much excellent information is so readily available, regardless of our circumstances or where we live. This is the Information Age.
Technology provides us with facts, but through gospel lenses we can select that which edifies and blesses.
I'm grateful that on Saturday, September 27 th my daughters and older granddaughters and I will go, either in person or via satellite in a local stake center, to the great “well” known as the Conference Center in Salt Lake City for the General Relief Society Meeting. There we will be taught by our general leaders--extraordinary women who, guided by the Spirit, will tell us what the Lord wants us to know and do. The meeting will then be crowned by a member of the First Presidency whose inspired and timely message will be especially prepared for us women.
Afterwards, my daughters and granddaughters will go with me to our own little “well” and discuss over dinner what was said. We will talk of our new knowledge and how it applies in our lives. I may even tell them how to restore their cell phones should they get wet.
Editors Note: Daryl Hoole has a new CD available called “Little Things Can Make a Big Difference” which is available by clicking here.
In what has come to be known as Daryl's signature talk, this message has been enthusiastically received by women of all ages and circumstances at BYU Education Week, Time Out for Women and numerous other groups, It's a delightful blend of practical, motivational, and inspirational tips that offer both a quick fix and lasting results to all homemakers seeking personal fulfillment as well as success and happiness in their homes. With snappy humor and timeless wisdom, Daryl describes some little things that can make a big difference in your life.
