Being LDS means living a life that can be very different from those not of our faith. These are just a few of the things I believe pretty much any member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can relate to, at some point in their lives.
First of all, there are the weddings. So. Many. Weddings. Which means...a lot of shopping from registries. Pretty much every other month growing up, it seemed like my mom was running to the store to pick up a gift for so-and-so's reception.
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Then, there's the fact that we are ALWAYS SURROUNDED BY CHILDREN. At all times. In church, at church activities/parties, at home. Unless you're a newlywed with no children of your own, there are constantly sticky little midgets invading your personal space.
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Many moms seem to struggle with finding "alone time" because they are up to their ankles in diapers. I've seen many a woman completely lose it in sacrament meeting because their child just will not cooperate and it is the last straw.
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Service is a big topic of discussion in the LDS faith. From the time we're in Primary, we're taught the importance of doing things for others without expecting anything in return. It seems to be one of those things that is on our minds 24/7, for good or for bad.
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There are some pretty strong political opinions within the church, on both sides of the spectrum. People seem to believe that sharing those political opinions are like sharing doctrine and spout them continuously. In places that are really not appropriate...such as over the pulpit in testimony meeting. A lot of Republican members of the church spent quite a bit of their time shouting this during the 2016 election:
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There are those girls...who just can't seem to shut up about marriage. They're obsessed and anyone who knows them can sense it. A guy so much as looks at them and they're talking to their friends about what their wedding is going to look like, how many kids they'll have and who they'll spend the holidays with.
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And then there are the women who are the complete opposite, at least on the outside. They act like they hate men and love and want nothing to do with dating, but you know that on the inside they're dying. You know they have a secret board on Pinterest for their wedding.
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There are the long road trips, usually to Utah or Nauvoo, filled with hours of screaming children and your mom/sisters singing along passionately to the soundtrack to the musical Wicked. And then the songs get stuck in your head and you. can't. escape.
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Speaking of music, you don't like the song Cotton Eye Joe? Well, guess you'll never be able to go to a youth dance. They play that song...religiously. *badum-tss*
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Finally, there's the best part of being Mormon: the way we talk so casually about our relationship with God. Because of our belief that everyone can have a personal, individual relationship with God through prayer and revelation, we have the opportunity to improve ourselves as often as we want and to grow closer to our Father in Heaven. We know that God is always there, whether we think we need Him or not.
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