I’m a wife, mother, sister, daughter, business owner, teacher, and friend. I love travel adventures, yoga, beach walks, good friends, books, and brie. My three teenage children are the joy of my world. My husband is my dearest friend and love of my life. I am grateful for the community and spirit of Mormonism that have largely shaped my stories about who I am and what is important to me. I am grateful for an energy of goodness and love that permeates my life because of my involvement with the LDS Church and people. I am grateful for a husband that reverences our marriage commitment and holds the role of parenthood as sacred. I am grateful for the expansive and empowering spiritual foundation that Mormonism is. I am grateful for the uplifting and growth-promoting opportunities I have had to teach Sunday School, Seminary, and Relief Society as well as to lead as a Primary President, Young Women’s President, and Counselor in the Relief Society.
I love the symbols, ceremonies, and rituals that define my Mormon faith: ordination circles, laying on of hands, healing blessings, administration of sacred ordinances. I am moved by the power, the love, and the connection that exist in these sacred interactions. My spirit soars to witness the giving and receiving of spiritual gifts, powers, and insights. Transformative rituals that join spirit with body bring increased light and love and awareness. But my heart aches at how often I am left out of these rituals. My participation is generally welcomed only as an observer. I long to be part of the circle, to partake in that flow of energy and connect physically to those who are blessing and those who are being blessed, both in my congregation and in my home. I do not believe that our Heavenly Parents intended for women to be excluded from the Priesthood–the Power to Act in Their Name. And just as my husband, my children, and I hugely benefit from my husband’s full and active participation in the care and nurturing of our beloved children, I am certain that full participation of women in the blessings, rituals, administration, and leadership roles of the Priesthood will only positively contribute to the building up of the Kingdom of God. Therefore, it is with deep conviction, humility, and longing that I believe women should be ordained.