La Dolce Vita: Time Out For Women – Friday February 5, 2010

Friday evening ~ how grateful I am that I was able to attend such a phenomenal event. There is so much to share with you and I know how difficult it is to read very long posts, so I promise to keep it simple….. and over a few Monday Musings!

Jenny Oaks Baker is one of America's most accomplished classical violinists. She began playing
the violin at age four, and made her solo debut in 1983 when she was only eight years
old. She received her Master of Music degree from the renowned Juilliard School in New
York City and her bachelor's degree in violin performance from the Curtis Institute of Music
in Philadelphia. She has performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the
Library of Congress and as a guest soloist with the Jerusalem Symphony, the San Diego Symphony,
the Utah Symphony, the Orchestra at Temple Square, and the internationally
acclaimed Mormon Tabernacle Choir…….

Wow….you must visit her website and listen to her music with awe! http://www.jennyoaksbaker.com/

Her spirit radiates with enthusiasm for Our Savior and the gospel. My favorite quote from Jenny, “Mother’s guilt is much stronger than wife guilt.” Oh yes she loves her husband immensely, but those little ones, on loan to us from our Heavenly Father, fill our hearts with immeasurable love. John Bytheway always brings smiles and laughter to the audience when he speaks. Gotta love his “Don Knott’s” impression! John is a religious studies instructor at BYU, currently focusing on the Book of Mormon. He works as an advisor in the publishing department of Deseret Book. He also serves on the Aaronic Priesthood/Young Women Writing Committee for the LDS Church. John, his wife Kimberly, and six children live in Utah.

John spoke on Remembering the Savior and how to best fill our lives with Hope. He reminds us that our outlook and attitude on life will make the difference. If we will watch the first 5 minutes of our interaction with our family we can learn to be more appreciative. His 3 words “Appreciate/Expect/Demand” How we treat each other is reflected in those 3 words. Have hope and be kind…..everyone we meet is fighting some kind of difficult battle.

Chieko Nishimura Okazaki was the first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency of LDS Church from 1990 to 1997. She was born and raised in Hawaii as a Buddhist, the daughter of Hawaii-born Japanese. At the age of fifteen she converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She married Ed Okazaki and they have two sons. By profession she is an educator, teaching in Hawaii, Utah, and Colorado, and also serving as an elementary school principal.

In 1961 she was appointed to the YWMIA board in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 1990 she was called to be the first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency. She was the first non-Caucasian to serve in these positions.

She has continued to be a voice for women in the Church.

What a remarkable woman. At the age of 83 she is still sharing her love for our Heavenly Father through her delightful stories. She reminded us that our greatest treasure is our testimony of Jesus Christ. To make our lives brighter and happier she shared with us the ideas of giving liberally and abundantly. Embracing the spirit of giving without buying is easy with the gifts Chieko shared with us from our own treasure box.

GIFTS FROM OUR OWN TREASURE BOX:

Smiles – pass them around we all have one. We could give one smile every minute for the next 100 years and we wouldn’t run out! Fabulous!

Wonderful Greetings - Say hello

Song – Chieko had us all stand and sing along with her as she played “You Are My Sunshine” on her ukulele. I’m going to spend more time strumming!

Time –Give with open hands and open hearts, rejoice and be glad to spend time with others.

Prayer – We all have a prayer to give – offer them in faith, hope, and memory.

Compliments – What a simple yet powerful relationship building tool. Compliments change the giver as well as the receiver.

Forgiveness - Forgiveness is an act that changes us from prisoners of the past to liberated people at peace with our memories. There is no future in the past. Forgiveness is the most important single process that brings peace to our soul and harmony to our life.