Stake Relief Society Leadership Meeting

This Tuesday is our annual Stake RS Leadership Meeting.  The theme of our meeting is to talk about how we can counsel as a presidencies.  I have to give a short introduction to the lesson.  Here is what I've written.

I remember as a young child sitting in the living room with my mother and siblings.  My mother starts into a family topic.  Can't remember what, probably sibling rivalry or chores and how the home can't run properly without them (those were her favorite topics) and I have a comment!

I try to get it out but she just keeps right on talking.  So I wait.  And I try to interject again, but she has valid points that she wants made known to us all, so I wait, and wait, and . . . fall asleep.  I never get to say my piece.  Therefore, I don't have a buy-in.

Of course, mother had valid points on the subject, but so did I.  I wanted to have a say.  And what if I had something to add that she had not thought of?

Over the years I've been in more than a few presidencies and I've found the best presidents are not like my mother conducting a family meeting but are the ones that set the tone of a counsel, ask for feedback, clarification, full understanding and do some brainstorming.  That way the spirit is able to influence each person as they work together.

What a spiritually growing experience it has been for me to work, plan and pray with Sisters Parry, Dalhstrom and Oliphant.  We are all different ages.  We all come from different back grounds.  We all have had different life experiences and we all have different gifts and talents.

As we have met as a presidency and counseled together we have grown in love and unity.  We are edified, our testimonies strengthened and our wells filled. When we are counseling together our position in the presidency doesn't matter.  We are all one in purpose as we counsel together.

In Proverbs 15:22 and it says:  "Without counsel purposes are disappointed.  But in the multitude of counselors they are established. ........  and 20:18 says "Every purpose is established by counsel",:

Then at this point I turn the meeting over to my 1st counselor.

So what do you think?  Good?  Any suggestions?