Mormon Monday: A Pair of Slippers

Yesterday was kind of a crazy day. I thought I woke up plenty early for church at 1:00 p.m. I didn't even have to prepare singing time, because it was ward conference.

That means that the stake primary presidency was going to be teaching. I was just going to be learning.

So, time passed while I fed Kevin and worked on family history videos.

Suddenly it was 12:30, and it was time to go. Grig had an early meeting, and so he'd already left.

I was all ready, except I hadn't put my shoes on yet. I was still wearing my slippers. However, Kevin wasn't dressed, so I made a mental note to slip on my shoes and then I got him ready.

By the time I finished packing everything and loading up the car, we were nearly late. We rushed into the car and ran into the church. As it was, we were a couple minutes late. We found Grig, and quickly sat down.

We've been singing with the choir lately, but we'd missed practice today for a few reasons, and so we were surprised to find out that we were singing during the meeting. However, we were willing and we'd been to nearly all the practices, so we got up with the choir, walked to the front, and sang.

Then, we walked back to our seats in the back and sat back down.

The meeting continued.

During the closing song, I suddenly thought, "My feet sure feel warm and comfortable." I looked down, and saw, to my horror, that I was still wearing my slippers!

Link to Source

The picture above looks pretty similar to my slippers. 

I was horrified and really embarrassed. I pointed out my feet to Grig, and he said, "Yeah, I noticed. I just figured you did it on purpose. I was glad you had comfortable shoes for once."

Granted, my Sunday shoes aren't the most comfortable things on the planet, but I never would have chosen to wear my slippers to church. 

I don't think I would have been nearly as embarrassed if I hadn't walked to the front wearing my overly large fuzzy slippers in front of everyone. I told him I had to run home and change. I didn't want to be leading the primary music in front of the stake primary presidency while wearing fuzzy black slippers. 

I was laughing by then, though I was still pretty embarrassed. 

Luckily, we only live five minutes away from the church, so I drove home quickly and changed my shoes. When I got back with the right shoes on and I told the other people in the primary about it, one of them told me that she had noticed, but she'd just thought, "Good for you." It reminded her of times that she had done the same. 

Of course, then they were very kind and shared their embarrassing clothing stories with me, and I felt better afterward. 

I was thinking about it though, and it probably isn't that big of a deal which shoes I wear to church. The most important thing is that I'm there. 

I was embarrassed a bit, because as much as I'd like to deny it, I do care what others think, but I would have been willing to just stay in those slippers if it hadn't been important to me to dress my very best for my Heavenly Father. 

When I go to church, I go to strengthen my testimony and take part in sacred ordinances. 

I try to wear my very best clothing because I feel that it shows my Heavenly Father how much I respect and care for his sacred ordinances. It can also be distracting for other people who are trying to feel the Spirit and draw closer to our Heavenly Father when someone is tromping around in big fuzzy slippers. 

I don't want anyone to think I'm trying to tell them what to wear to church. That is a personal decision, and regardless of what you wear, you are always welcome at our congregations. I'm just sharing my thoughts about why, I personally, try to wear nice clothing to church.

Fashion is Stupid

When I was a kid, I was one of the most awkward things you will ever see.  I had huge glasses that covered half my face, and they were as thick as coke bottles.  I always, except maybe on school picture day, wore my hair in a pony tail.  I wore sweat pants to school, usually of the hot pink or hot orange variety, and I loved baggy t-shirts (that usually clashed with the pants.) 

When I got to Junior High, my father told me that I couldn't wear sweat pants to school anymore.  I was a bit upset.  They were really comfortable!  However, I honored my father's wishes, and to my surprise discovered that jeans could be quite comfortable too, if you could find a pair that actually fit.  I still wore t-shirts, but it's much harder to clash with jeans.  In my eighth grade year, I received contacts, and suddenly I didn't look so bad. 

I've really never cared about fashion.  If someone asked me what the popular trend in clothing is right now, I'd tell you that I really couldn't care.  I'm now in my mid-20's.  I still wear my hair in a ponytail nearly every day.  Due to my c-section, I still have to wear comfortable, stretchy pants because I can't fit into my jeans.  I still prefer t-shirts, and I don't really care if they make me look like a huge pillow.  My personal appearance has never really mattered to me.

However, I do try to make more of an effort to look nice.  I have a friend from South Africa who changed the way that I take care of myself.  She is a really good friend, and she as we were getting to know each other, I realized that she loved me even though I didn't try to look nice.  She, of course, is always gorgeous and wears adorable clothes that accentuate her beauty.  She loved me first, and because of that, I listened to her suggestions.  Just before I roomed with her, I made the decision to get bangs, which made me look less like a boy.  She taught me how to style them so that they looked decent. 

We would go on shopping trips, and she would help me find clothing that was comfortable and cute!  While we were rooming together, I ended up getting my ears pierced.  She helped me feel beautiful, and I did like it.

However, while she was teaching me the finer points of dressing myself, she was also teaching me something else.  She taught me that it still doesn't matter what the current trends are.  She wore what she wanted to wear.  She wore things that made her look good, and she had her own style.  She taught me that cute clothes are always cute, and you don't have to follow fashion in order to be beautiful and feel good about yourself. 

Fashion is always changing.  If you were to try to keep up, you'd bankrupt yourself.  Things that are fashionable don't look good with every body type.  Not everyone, in fact, very few people, look good in a bikini.  Find fashions that work for you.  I don't dress up very often still, but at least I know how to now. 

For me, it's best if the belly fabric is loose.  If it's too tight, it accentuates the wrong kinds of...rolls.  Ruffles don't hurt, and my friend told me to stay away from collared shirts.  My shoulders are too broad for them. 

The other thing that my friend taught me is don't dress up for other people.  Dress up to look good for yourself.  When you look good, you feel good.  She was right.  However, I don't mind looking good for my husband too.  My wonderful husband loves me regardless of what I'm wearing, and I'm grateful for that.  However, he does like it if I occasionally dress up. 

Basically, I guess I'm saying, don't follow fashion.  Things that they are trying to sell you are generally overpriced and don't always go well with different body types.  Find a style that works for you and stick with it.  Cheaper is better.  If it's on sale and it's cute, why not buy it if you have the money?  There are tons of cute clothes that aren't super expensive.  The fashion industry is just out to take your money.  That's why they change fashions so often. 

Heaven forbid we actually wear the same clothes more than once in our lives.

I've never understood fashion, and I probably never will, but thanks to my good friend I at least can make myself look good while staying within our budget.

Fashion is stupid, being beautiful isn't.  Be pretty for you, choose clothes that you like, and find your own style.  We're all unique, why not show it with our clothing?