"A friend loveth at all times"

Sister Staples shared a sweet story about her 16 year old daughter. As the school year ended, her daughter's friend India was preparing to move to Japan with her family. India (Sister Staples interjected - "Isn't that a wonderful name?" I'm wondering if she's a GWTW fan too - just saying!) and her daughter had been friends for 10 years. That's a significant time for a friendship to last - especially in the teen years.

A photo from 1964, outside Horne Hall at BYU - with some of my dearest friends!

She knew her daughter was feeling sad about it, and she drove her over to say her last goodbyes before the family left. She was sitting in her car in the driveway waiting for her daughter to return, and the thought came to her that perhaps she should be prepared with some words of comfort for her. She was certain she would be feeling some strong emotions.

She felt impressed to open her scriptures and found this scripture:

"And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy."
D&C 130:2

She read it to her daughter when she got back in the car but was not sure how it had been received. Later that summer, she was at Girl's Camp when her daughter got up to bear her testimony. She testified how grateful she was to know that the Lord knew and understood her feelings, and then she shared the above scripture. This scripture had not only comforted her in the loss of her close association with her dear friend, but it had enabled her to strengthen her testimony that the Lord knows and loves each one of us.

Sister Staples shared with us that we needed to look for ways to testify and demonstrate to the women we work with in Relief Society, and especially the women we are asked to visit teach. As we seek the help of the Lord, study the scriptures daily, and then look for ways to serve, we will be blessed with the right words to say and the right scriptures to share.

Her mantra to us as leaders was "Organize, teach, inspire."

Certainly food for thought - yea verily, a banquet for thought!