"Sister Marjorie Hinckley knew what she was saying when she said 'women need women.' Don't get me wrong, boys are great, but sometimes you just need your close girlfriends. We hadn't all been together in the same room longer than a few minutes here and there. But tonight was a mandatory girls night and it was a blast. We had the essentials ice cream, chocolate, sweats, chick flicks, and nail polish. (Though I wouldn't necessarily put nail polish as an essential, but whatev.) My roommate had made the effort to go on Pinterest and find lots of girly things to do. I opted out on doing the facials and painting my nails. However, I did help my roommates put on their facial masks. That was definitely an adventure. We made three different types of homemade facials and I got to apply them on each girl. It was slimy and gross, but it was so fun! After we all got cleaned up and into our pajamas, we talked. The most refreshing part about this girls night was that we DIDN'T TALK ABOUT BOYS! Say what? It wasn't even a rule or anything. It just happened. We talked about school, our dreams, and told stupid jokes and riddles. We got into deep conversations about the gospel and shared our testimonies. But the topic of boys didn't happen. It was refreshing! We ended the night with a chick flick and then headed to bed. That was our first and probably our last girls night ever as an apartment, but it was well worth it! Yes, I agree, women need each other." [November 2011]
"She sat down beside me and we talked. It was different this time. She actually listened to what I had to say. Normally it's the other way around. It was a beautiful bonding experience." [January 2012]
"I hadn't seen her in ages, which is pretty lame seeing as she lives a few blocks away. Somehow I knew that she wasn't doing well the moment I walked through the door. We small talked and then I gave her "the look" and asked her what was wrong. She confided in me about her recent struggles. My heart ached for her and tears began to fall down my cheeks. We cried together." [May 2013]
"All of sudden she burst into tears. I've never seen her cry that hard before. It broke my heart instantly and I began to tear up. We both went to bed with headaches, but with a smile on our faces. Our friendship had taken on a whole new level. Sister Hinckley said that 'women need women' and I thoroughly believe that with all my heart" [October 2013]
"It was one of the most powerful experiences of my life. All five of us sitting there telling each other how much we love and appreciated each other. It was beautiful. Yes, women need each other. Somehow we all understand each other and though we might not all get along, we still know that we need each other." [November 2013]
"It was weird. We were both doing our own thing and then bam! I burst into uncontrollable tears. What the?? What is happening? Why I am crying right now? I'm sure I looked like a hot mess. My roommate quickly ran to my aid and consoled me. I wasn't completely sure what I was even feeling or what caused the outburst. I stuttered through my sobs and she just sat there and listened. Later tonight, I felt overwhelmed with gratitude. I'm grateful that I have great roommates and girlfriends that I can rely on. There are times when I try to explain something to a boy and he just doesn't get it. Then I explain the same thing to a girl and she's nodding her head in understanding.
I echo Sister Hinckley's precious words: 'Women need women.' Isn't that the truth? We need each other. Through the good and the bad, we need each other. Yes, boys can meet our needs, but I have found that there is a special bond between women. We can goof off, get angry, eat gallons of ice cream, or just cry together. We hash and re-hash any issues, talk about boys, vent like there's no tomorrow, talk about boys, eat copious amounts of chocolate, talk about boys, and sing and dance in the kitchen. There's so much that we do together.
Today in Relief Society, we talked about Jesus Christ. There was a time in the lesson where we could share our experiences of how Jesus Christ has impacted our lives. Quite a handful of us shared some deep, intimate experiences. As I listened to each experience, my heart was overjoyed. I teared up a bit. I felt deeply connected to these beautiful daughters of God. We all had a common denominator: Jesus Christ. There's just something special about Relief Society that just hits the spot. We come together as sisters and daughters of God. We love and support each other as friends, as women, and as sisters." [January 2014]