Remembering Mutual

      After summer of 1974, there were a total of twelve first year Beehives starting our first year of Mutual (or MIA which meant Mutual Improvement Association). Lessons and activities were held on either Tuesday or Wednesday nights.  There were the occasional overnighters or getting up early to do baptisms for the dead.  That usually took place a couple of hours before school started I think on a Friday.

            Joyce was the president for the girl’s classes.  She had two counselors.  I think there was a teacher for each class – though I don’t know if we actually had six classes.  We may have only had four.  Unfortunately I can only remember three of the leaders. 

            My first year Beehive instructor was Renee Barber.  I had always been taught to call my leaders by Sister or Brother Last Name.  I felt like the only Beehive who referred to her as Sister Barber.  Most of the girls called her Renee.  I don’t recall Joyce being addressed as sister.  She was always Joyce.

            I remember activities more than I can remember lessons – although I do remember smidgens of different lessons given.  For example, one of the leaders had given a small paper sack to one of the class members to pass around so each of us could guess what might be in there besides air – or was our faith wavered because it was too light to contain anything.  Most believed the bag was empty.  It wasn’t until the end of the lesson that the leader revealed the cotton ball inside.

            I also remember having a lesson in which papers were handed out to each of us and we were told to write a trait or attribute we admired about each class member.  Most of the girls commented on my inner strength and self-esteem – which actually surprised me.  I didn’t think they had even noticed me for the most part.

            I don’t know how often we did combined activities with the boys.  The only combined activities I remember doing was the summer escape and one during the winter season when the leaders would take us Tracey Wigwam (a boy scout camp) located at Millcreek Canyon in Salt Lake City, Utah.

            We would ride tubes and toboggans down a snowy ice-formed trail and drink hot chocolate and cider at one of the recreation buildings.  Though I did enjoy this activity (I must have – I think I went every year) it was always cold, and the drinks were always scalding and I always burned my tongue and would have sandpaper tongue for a few days.

            The summer group activities varied from year to year.  I recall one time we went to BYU and slept overnight in the dorms and followed a day to day activity that probably last for three or four days.

            One time we had gone to the Sports Mall here – I think right after it opened.  We stayed up late playing with the equipment.  I think we spent the night there.

            The girls ages 14 and up went to rough camp.  Beehives went to Oakcrest here. Oakcrest offered cabins and bunk beds and thousands of girls.  Rough camp was pitching tents – but actually not all that “rough” from the boys’ point of view.  Rough camp was done at a stake level and just felt more interment than did Oakcrest. 

            Each ward had it’s own campground.  There were activities to do on a stake level, and time to do things as a ward. There wasn’t the enforced rule of keeping leaders in a tent separate from the girls.  I can only remember going to rough camp one year.  Our theme had to do with holidays and the holiday that we either chose or was assigned was Valentine’s Day.  

           There were two tents set up.  One was overly decorated in hearts and a path marked lover's lane.  The tent was full of four boy-crazy girls.  The tent I was in was decorated, but certainly not over done.  We had fun discussing any other subject that wasn't boy related.  Joyce stayed in our tent with us. I don’t recall any other leaders from our ward.  Just Joyce and seven girls.

            Joyce had brought a parachute to stretch among the trees to be used as an awning.  I think it was on our last day it caught on fire along with our breakfast.

I don’t know if it was before or after the three-hour block in which we had a lesson on temple marriage and how we should “wait” for that “perfect” someone. The example used was Annie Osborne.  

I don’t recall the exact way it was taught, but the point was she had waited.  She didn’t get married right away.  It sounded as though she would have liked to, but “God had other plans”.  She hadn’t married until later in life (by LDS terms at an age where most righteous girls woman her age were sending their eldest sons into the mission field) but by waiting and "enduring" in her righteous act she had been blessed with marrying a general authority.  As the lesson was given, I remember thinking to myself, “Dare to dream”

And yet I broke her record.  According to this article, she married when she was 38.  I was 39.  I did not marry a general authority.   I didn't even marry in the temple until Jenna was nine months old.  My view of temple marriage is so much different than what it used to be.  (See here and here)

I remember having been given a white hanky to have to use in the temple when the time came.  We each received a white hanger on which we could hang our wedding or temple dresses.  I still have both.

I believe I had the thought card until 2012
I don't know if the card was scanned or not
I put the hanky in my temple bag