Wear pants to church Day

In the past few days, I have seen several facebook posts attempting to get LDS women to wear pants to church.  In my very brief visit to the LDS newsroom, I can't see the official response that I've heard mentioned on several of those posts.

Basically, the message that seems to have come from the Church is: Attending church is about worshiping the Lord.  We are encouraged to wear our best dress.

But like I said, I didn't actually read the official statement.  But that seems to be in line with what I would expect.  As an LDS woman, I have been encouraged on several occasions to wear "Sunday appropriate" attire.  And though I don't particularly like wearing a dress,  I think that dresses/skirts (of appropriate length!!!!) are appropriate attire.

And here is why---

The way you dress, changes the way you feel and act.  Don't believe me?  Ever gone to a job interview?  What did you wear?  I'm going to bet it was not the same thing you would wear to the grocery store.  I wouldn't. Dressing up for a job interview helps give me confidence--and I believe helps show my potential employer that I am a respectable person worthy of being hired.

If I am in a skirt, I'm going to feel and  act differently than if I am in raggy jeans. If I'm in high heels (which I never am) I am going to do different things than if I am in workboots.

A forgotten point may be that MEN are also asked to wear "Sunday appropriate" attire.  Living in the west (with a more lax dress code in the work week), I have been in numerous work settings where jeans are acceptable--for men and women.   I served my mission in the eastern United States.  The dress code at work there seemed much more defined, and jeans seemed much less common.  In that setting, it may be harder to see that men are being asked to dress differently than their normal work day.  But in the west....lots of men go to work in jeans--and are asked to come to church in dress slacks and a tie--preferably even a suit coat.

Tradition my help define WHAT is considered appropriate Sunday attire, but faith helps me define WHY.    We are going to worship a Being we believe to be Holy, Supreme, Omniscient, and in general, infinitely better than we currently are.  And to worship such a Being, I would prefer to be at my best self.  And I believe that the way I dress influences my ability to reach that best.

Do I think women have to wear a dress to church? No, but do I think they should?  Yes.

But hey, go ahead and participate in wear pants to church day....and bring a friend :)

Election Results..

Okay, I know the election was a week ago, but hey, no one is really reading my blog right now anyway, so what does it matter if I am a little behind on the current event topics??

Anyway, if you read my last post, you know that I voted for Romney.  It should therefore come as no surprise that I am a little disappointed in the election outcomes.  Does this mean that I will spend the next 4 years complaining because my candidate didn't win?  No.  but I will likely complain about some things.  That would likely have been true even if Romney had been elected.

I will admit, I'm a bit more nervous because I really think Romney was the better man for the job.  But I believe in supporting the President of the United States in so much as what he is doing is righteous....or a least not evil. And I will be praying for the leaders of this country to be able to do what is best for the country and that they will have God's help in so doing.

Congratulations, and best of luck to you President Obama.

Romney says 47% of voters will vote for Obama no matter what

I read and article today that stated that Romney says 47% of voters will vote for Obama no matter what because they don't pay income taxes and are dependent upon the government for so much crap.

Unfortunately, I probably fall into the 47% who don't pay income taxes because my husband and I don't make very much on an annual basis.  And though we do have government assistance to care for our baby, we would love to have the ability to care for ourselves.  I mistakenly assumed that that was the general feeling--Wanting to be able to care for your own family.

This belief was recently shaken up when I ran into a friend whom I associate with the liberal crowd.  She asked me what I was doing and I told her that I was being a stay at home mommy, in part because I had been laid of from my job.  Her response was shocking to me "Being laid off is always nice."  After a brief pause, she asked, "Are you getting unemployment?"  For her and for my readers, the answer to that is "No."  I am not getting, or seeking, unemployment because I believe I could find a job if I was willing to accept just any old job.  But I'm not--I need a job that allows me to stay home with my son.  So telecommuting or babysitting are the most dominant options.

When I explained my job requirements to her, she basically said that I could meet the job application requirements for unemployment and still not get a job by telling potential employers all the things I won't do when they interview me.  The problem is, there are probably a lot of people out there doing just that.  My uncle recently told me that he has people on unemployment come in and ask if they are hiring--he says he tells them yes and they basically walk right out the door!

So, though I don't think all 47%  of people who are not paying income taxes and are using government assistance feel entitled to all those things, it has recently become easy for me to see how that generalization could have formed in Romney's mind.

And--I am still voting for Romney!

If you're going to apologize....

I recently read an article in a local (county) paper written by the publisher of the paper attempting to apologize for the many errors in reporting the paper has had recently.  The apology is 1 paragraph long (about 1 1/2 inches of 1 column).  The whole article is about 2/3rds of  the page and is 4 columns wide.  The rest of the article is a list of various excuses of why there have been so many errors.  Let me paraphrase a few for you:

• Our assumptions were wrong
• I can't possibly know everything my employees are writing
• Sometimes the information changes after we get the story
• Goverment/law officials won't co-operate with us
• People give us wrong information--or refuse to give us any information at all.

 My sympathies to the publisher that she has had so many errors in the paper, but I don't really feel like that article was an apology.  I felt like it was a "blame shifter."  You know one of those "apologies" that basically come out as "yeah, I screwed up, BUT IT WASN'T MY FAULT!" (I've seen lots of cartoons on Facebook recently mocking President Obama for his many similar statements...but I won't get into that)

The article got me thinking how many times I do the very same thing. And about how hollow those apologies feel when you receive them. I realize that some things don't go as planned, but people don't want your excuses. If you can't deliver what you promised, don't blame circumstances or other people.  If you are going to apologize,accept responsibility and realize they will likely be upset. But don't slough it off as if there were nothing you could do about it.  It might also be helpful to suggest ways you can help rectify the situation.

Don't get me wrong, I realize there are things that are beyond an individuals control, but an apology sounds hollow if that is stated in it. Let me give you a "do" and "don't" example.

Do: I'm sorry, we won't be able to deliver the couch you purchased last week on time.  We hope this won't inconvenience you too much. We aren't sure exactly when the couch will be available for delivery, but we will call you as soon as it arrives.
Don't: I'm sorry, we won't be able to deliver the couch you ordered last week on time.  Our supplier didn't ship it until several days after we placed the order and the shipping company re-routed it through California.  Now we are a week behind on our deliveries.  We aren't sure exactly when the couch will be available for delivery, but we will call you as soon as it arrives.

Please notice that the "don't" example includes almost the entire "do" example---but it also gives excuses that aren't included in the first example.  If people ask you why, I suppose it is appropriate to offer some explanation (excuse). But if they don't ask, it is 100% an excuse (not an explanation) when it leaves  your mouth.

So, in the future, I'm going to work on offering apologies, not excuses. Feel free to join me in my efforts.

No Authority

So, if you have stumbled on my blog, you may be wondering at the title I have chosen "A voice of no Authority."  Honestly, I came up with it later in the evening, but I really liked it and decided to keep it.  But it does  have meaning to me.

A VOICE:  I chose to be a voice for what I believe and believe in.  So many times people remain silent while things they believe are disregarded, disrespected, and displaced.  I may not have a lot of ability to change things, but I can let my beliefs be known.

OF NO AUTHORITY: I believe there are people out there who have authority to speak on certain topics.  For example, I believe the LDS Prophet has Authority given to him from God to speak to the world on any topic.   I, however, do not feel I have authority to speak about anything.  The things I post to this blog are my Beliefs and Opinions.

Even though I don't feel I have authority, I do believe I have the right to share what I believe (in the US the right to Freedom of Speech is given to every citizen).  Though not everything on my blog will be factual, I will make every effort to keep my religious postings true to the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Errors on those pages are because of my miscommunication or misunderstanding of gospel principles.

Political posts are strictly my opinions---And I believe pretty much anyone's political posts are only opinions regardless of how many statistics they quote or links they have. Errors on political pages are because I choose to share things without checking them out because I like them, facts are in dispute, or pretty much anything. Just so you know what to expect, I consider myself a Republican...but I may not agree with every Republican viewpoint.

Just starting to blog...

So, I know I loose a ton of credibility by not even posting my name on my blog....but I have a lot of opinions that I have decided to share, and I don't really have the guts to share them in any other way.  Guess one fun thing about the internet is that you can be generally Anonymous.--And look on the bright side, I'm not lying to you about who I am....I''m just not telling you who I am ;)

That being said, there are things about me I don't mind sharing.  As you may have guessed from the first part, I am opinionated ;)  Aside from that...I am currently a stay at home mom! Though I have worked in the past and will probably need to work again in the future.  But since I was laid off a few weeks ago, we have decided to try living on just my husband's income. We are just starting our family and have one beautiful little boy who is the joy of our lives. 

I am also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints---which I am happy to say influences my life, my opinions, and my blog!  If you don't like that, feel free to hit any of your bookmarks and move on, because this is my webpage ;)  I fully respect your right to post whatever you want, even if I don't agree with it---on your own space.  And I expect the same courtesy of you should you continue reading.  That being said, this is my space, and I will delete anything I find offensive.

Should you choose to explore: Welcome to my blog!  I hope you enjoy it.