Windy Sydney

I was thinking back to when I was about 15 or 16 years old. It was around this time that I had started losing interest in Young Women's classes and activities due to constantly being told who to marry and how many kids I should have. We never got to do fun stuff like play basketball or Volleyball, instead we learned how to make cookies, brownies, fudge... then we delivered the goodies to the young men who were playing basketball and volleyball. We were supposed to be learning things that we needed for life, not how to cook, bake, clean, and suck up to the boys. Once I asked why the boys were not learning how to make cookies, brownies and fudge, but I was ignored.

It had been about a month or so since I had been to church. I assumed the Young Women's leaders were happy that I stopped attending, because I was one to ask questions and not accept things at face value. Most of the times they didn't have the answers to my questions, and they were upset that I made the other girls "think."

I was doing my homework in my bedroom when my Mom knocked on my door to tell me I had a phone call. I had no idea who was calling me, and when I asked her she said she thought it was the bishop. I rolled my eyes right in front of her. She smiled. She was inactive at the time, hadn't been to church in years... she knew exactly why I had stopped attending and let me make my own choices. She was cool like that.

I walked down the hall and picked up the phone (we didn't have a cordless phone at the time...) and said, "Hello?"

"Hello Sydney, this is Bishop So-and-So. How are you doing this fine afternoon?"

"Fine."

"Good to hear that. Listen, Sydney, the Lord has chosen you for a very special calling. He would like you to be secretary in your Young Women's class."

Now, here is the thing. I knew I didn't want to go back to church, but I had been raised (like all good Mormon girls) to be a people pleaser, and to smile and do as you are asked.

"Um, okay..."

"I'm glad you are willing. We will talk more about this on Sunday."

Damnit. Now, let me say right here and now that this calling had nothing to do with the Lord, and was not received by revelation. I would like to think that God spends his time trying to help people who need it, not trying to decide who needs to be a secretary in a group of teenagers. This was a way to get me back into my uncomfortable plastic chair on Sunday, and I fell for it. Not only that, but I had to have an interview first.

My bishop was the kind of guy who really creeped me out. I didn't like being alone with him, hell... I didn't like being alone with anyone... but having a "meeting" with just the two of us in his office bugged the hell out of me. My Dad ended up driving me to the church (he was inactive, too) and he waited for me outside.

The bishop asked me the usual questions... do I believe the Book of Mormon to be Scripture? Of course. Do I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God? Yeppers. Then he got into more personal territory. It was more than uncomfortable. He started asking me if I lived a pure life (or something like that.) I nodded. Never said a word.

I was embarrassed, nervous. Here he was, a 60 year old man, asking a young girl of the age of 16 if she was "pure." I was pure, but even then I knew it was none of his freaking business.

When I left the office after a quick prayer, my Dad greeted me in the hallway with a smile. He asked me how it went, I said, "okay." Then Bishop exits his mahogany covered office and shakes my father's hand and tells him what a good young woman I am. My Dad already knew I was a good person, he didn't need some strange guy telling him that.

The whole thing was strange, and it was only an attempt to keep me in line.

I went back to church for a couple Sundays, expecting to have to do something as "Secretary." Nothing. It was just a title. How stupid! What was the purpose of calling me as Secretary if you don't need me to do anything?!?

I stopped going for good soon after. The whole thing was pointless.