Back in Black

Last night was our ward YW Standards Night on Choice and Accountability. We had a guest speaker named Katie come talk to the girls about choice. She was an army nurse in Saudi Arabia during the first gulf war and had some amazing stories to tell. As part of her object lesson, she brought some real Saudi women's wear and dressed up our laurels to demonstrate how the women there don't have the freedom to make choices about what they wear and numerous other things like education, profession, marriage etc. If a stitch of skin or a strand of hair is showing in public, they get beaten with a stick by the dress code police. She also dressed a member of the stake YW presidency up as a man would be dressed. Which do you think would be more comfortable to wear in 120 degree weather!? She told us about how a woman's ID card doesn't have her picture on it, it has the picture of her husband (from an arranged marriage of course). So if she's ever seen in public with someone other than the man on her ID card, she's toast. There are also only 2 professions women there can have, 1) teacher (of girls only) and 2) physician (to women only). While that seems respectable enough on the outside, in Saudi Arabia, they believe that there is nothing more vile or disgusting than to touch another person's skin or body, especially of the opposite sex, so it's really not as glamorous as it seems. Women who choose to be physicians there give up the possibility of getting married because no man would ever want to be with a woman who has to touch other people for a living. I can't even imagine, but it sure made me grateful to live where I do, and to have the opportunity to make choices about my life! It's easy to forget how blessed we are.

Speaking of blessings, thank goodness Jason Castro finally got kicked A.I.! What a joke. And speaking of A.I., anyone who watches knows that little David is going to be paying a visit to Murray this week. He's going to be putting on a free concert at Murray high just down the street. All my YW are SOOOO excited because the students at Murray high are going to be released from school early to occupy one section of bleachers in the football stadium. They're estimating 30,000 people for this concert! It's going to be a zoo. He's also singing the national anthem at a sold out Jazz game while in town. Our little local Mo'celebrity returns a global star! I never would have thought Murray, UT would be on the map for anything this big. I wonder if this will help the resale value of our house. :)