Last week there was a knock at my door and I opened it to see a dear friend standing on my front step.  This sister has ministered to me for several years and although she is currently in a different ward, she continues to love and reach out to my family and me!  As I stood there in my purple leopard print pajamas and sporting an extreme case of bedhead, she lovingly handed me a gift.  

She explained that over 20 years ago when she was in the thick of life and mothering herself, there was a talk given in General Conference by Margaret D. Nadauld that was perfectly catered to her every need at the time.  

The talk was titled “The Joy of Womanhood”.  

She told me how she has always loved the words spoken by Sister Nadauld and she wanted to share them with the next generation of women.  She had made a book that included the words of the talk and beautiful pictures throughout.  As I flipped through the pages, I was filled with so much gratitude for her and this treasure I held in my hands.  

I have read through the book several times since that day and with the celebration of Mother’s Day this past Sunday – the joy of womanhood has truly been at the core of my thoughts and feelings.  

Sister Nadauld began her talk 23 years ago with this statement, “It is a remarkable blessing to be a daughter of God today . . . Our Heavenly Father asks His daughters to walk in virtue, to live in righteousness so that we can fulfill our life’s mission and His purposes.” 

She continued to teach that you can recognize women who are grateful to be a daughter of God by their outward appearance, their attitude, their abilities, their reverence for Motherhood and ultimately their desire to stand out from the rest of the world as they follow our Savior Jesus Christ, “women of God can never be like women of the world” she taught. 

She concluded with this counsel that I have heard many times throughout my life, yet it seems more needed now than ever! 

“The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender.

There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind.

There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined.

We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith.

We have enough greed; we need more goodness.

We have enough vanity; we need more virtue.

We have enough popularity; we need more purity.”

I was fifteen years old in October 2000 when this talk was given and less than a year later I turned sweet sixteen and received my patriarchal blessing.  Among the many promised blessings and counsel given to me that day were these words which I truly feel are meant for every woman of God young or old,

“Be grateful that you are a daughter of God.  His daughters are so precious.  They exemplify beauty, honestly and the goodness of God.  Defend the daughters of God.  Stand for womanhood of the highest order.  In a society where the roles of the sexes are so confused, let there be no doubt as to your conviction of who you are and what is expected of the children of God.” 

These words have been a guide to me throughout my life and I have often pondered what it means to ‘stand for womanhood of the highest order!’

Just over a year ago, I had an incredibly unique and powerful experience that has given me greater insight into this heavenly instruction.  My husband and I were laying in bed one night and out of nowhere he said, “whenever I listen to the Emma song it brings tears to my eyes.”  He wondered how we could ever be counted worthy to stand with her and Joseph and if our lives are just too easy.  “Maybe there are larger trials coming, but it almost doesn’t seem fair.”  He added. 

I have honestly felt this way my whole life.  Anytime I hear stories of the trials and sacrifices of the early pioneers, I wonder the same things.  I shared this with him, then added, “whenever I fall down that train of thought, I remind myself of all that they did have to help them through their trials – visions, miracles and angels. They did not live in the faithless world that we do now.  A world riddled with constant distractions.  A world where the roles of the sexes truly are so confused!  We live in a different time . . . in many ways easier and in many ways harder.”

I felt emotional as I shared this with Bryan and tears began to slide down my cheeks.  As I lay in bed, I replayed the words of that beautiful song in my mind. 

“With the world on your shoulders
When the nights had grown colder
You seemed to weather every storm
With a queen’s grace
When you lost your husband
When you buried your children
I’m sure the angels stood in reverence as you prayed
How much can one heart take?”

I suddenly felt completely overcome.  Tears continued to flow, and it was almost as though I felt the very presence of Emma Smith herself.  She was comforting me and somehow preparing me for the trials that will come my way as a woman and a mother in Zion living my own pioneer story.  I felt like she was then joined by an entire body of angels. 

Woman. 

Strong woman. 

My ancestors. 

They were all there with me. 

I found myself wanting to doubt the possibility of angelic presences in my room, but then the words of a talk I had listened to that day came to my mind, “unbelief blocks our ability to see miracles, whereas a mindset of faith in the Savior unlocks the powers of heaven”.  I silently prayed as the desperate Father in the New Testament, “help thou mine unbelief.” 

The powers of heaven were with me in that moment. 

As I felt the almost tangible presence of generations of women who have gone before me, I then saw in my minds eye the image of an army of girls. They were warriors fighting for their covenants.

Young girls. 

Righteous girls. 

My girls. 

It was my posterity. 

My patriarchal blessing says that I “will see my posterity marching forth even as a righteous army of faithful Latter-Day Saints defending the faith, testifying of the Gospel, serving missions and doing the work of the Lord.” 

I saw them only for a couple of minutes – they were so beautiful and strong – and they were smiling!

Following these few tender moments I had with women from generations past and generations yet to come – I felt in the smallest particle of a way how Joseph Smith himself may have felt as he knelt down in the sacred grove. 

I felt a balance of power. 

I felt a slight darkness start to creep into my mind clouding over the enlightenment I had experienced.  I felt the truth of the scripture that in all things there must be opposition.  Tears continued to flow – some tears of joy, some of fear, some of sorrow. 

I cleared my mind and asked Heavenly Father what he wanted me to do. 

I prayed for help.  I prayed for peace. 

I prayed in gratitude for the sacrifices of those who had gone before me. 

I prayed that their sacrifices would not be in vain. 

I prayed that I would be strong enough to change and repent and do better. 

I sat in the dark and quiet of the night.  I stopped and I listened.  I pondered why I was blessed with this incredible experience and I believe the answer was this, “the days of miracles are not over.  You too can have all that your pioneer ancestors had – visions, miracles and angels.  You just have to have faith – a mindset of faith in the Savior that unlocks the powers of heaven.”

These words to the beloved hymn filled my heart,

The Spirit of God like a fire is burning
The latter-day glory begins to come forth
The visions and blessings of old are returning
And angels are coming to visit the earth. 

I pondered deeply how I could possibly be counted worthy to stand next to generations of righteous women and then I felt these words completely overcome me,  

“If I want to raise valiant daughters of God, I need to be a valiant daughter of God.”

And there it is . . .

How do we find joy in womanhood?

How do we connect with generations past and future generations to come?

How do we stand for womanhood of the highest order. 

The answer came to a young mother watching General Conference 23 years ago, it came to me in the quiet stillness of the night and it comes to every woman who honestly and earnestly seeks to know God’s will for them – we need to be woman who are tender, kind, refined, faithful, good, virtuous and pure. We need to walk in virtue and live in righteousness so that we can fulfill our life’s mission and our Heavenly Father’s purposes.

If we want to raise valiant daughters of God, we need to be valiant daughters of God.