Where's My Jacket?

I couldn't resist sharing this story that Elder Oaks told us today, that was printed in an ensign years ago, in our Stake Conference gathering. It just put a smile on my face. :)

The situation of a Church member who is single can be illustrated by a simple analogy. Imagine that your favorite hobby is stargazing and you’ve just joined a stargazing club. You come to your first club activity eager to participate. It’s a cold night, but you’re not concerned: most of the club members are wearing club jackets, and you’ve been told you should be able to get one as well. But there is no jacket for you. You ask about it, and you are told to keep looking and that if you do your best, you will find a jacket when the time is right.

Meanwhile, you are getting pretty cold and a little worried. And you notice that most of the other club members are talking about how nice and warm their jackets are. In fact, throughout the evening the topic surfaces continually in various forms: how to wash and dry your jacket, how to add extra pockets, how to mend it, and so forth. Some of the club members notice you don’t have a jacket. “You really need a jacket for these activities,” they tell you. “Why don’t you have one yet?”

While this analogy should not be taken too far, it does serve to show how awkward it can sometimes feel to be a single member of a conventional ward. Fortunately, however, there are family wards in which single members feel included and know their contributions are valued.

-Kathy Grant, “Singles in the Ward Family,” Ensign, Jun 2002, 44

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi