I worry about white-washing the women I’m featuring. I don’t want to set up false and unattainable images of these women, but I also don’t feel the need include their flaws for the sake of including their flaws. If I were writing a book, I would have plenty of time and space to discuss the nuances of these women. However, the focus of my blog is to celebrate these women, despite their imperfections. I think that is part of the beauty of telling each others’ stories. It inspires me to see the amazing things that imperfect individuals are able to accomplish.
To me, Sheri Dew is one of these imperfect, yet inspiring women. It is true that she has used rhetoric about the gay and lesbian community that I find hurtful and counterproductive. It is also true that she has broken boundary after boundary for the contemporary LDS woman, presented me with new models for what it means to be a daughter of God, and improved my communication with Deity.
As a brand new freshman in college, I remember attending my first general relief society meeting and wondering what on earth I was doing there. All the talks were focused on motherhood (which I thought had nothing to do with me), and I struggled to take the sing-songy voices seriously. And then Sheri Dew got up to speak. Early in her talk, she stated,
“Have you ever wondered why prophets have taught the doctrine of motherhood—and it is doctrine—again and again? I have. I have thought long and hard about the work of women of God. And I have wrestled with what the doctrine of motherhood means for all of us. This issue has driven me to my knees, to the scriptures, and to the temple.”
And there she stood, living proof not only that God values the contributions of all women (not just the ones with their own children), but someone who’d had her own doctrinal wrestle before God about women’s roles and came out stronger, more committed, and at peace. For the first time, I felt like I belonged in Relief Society. I’ll admit I knew little of what General Authorities said on the matter, but as she continued her talk, it was the first time I had heard motherhood talked about in an empowering way. Listening to Sister Dew speak convinced me that I needed to have my own wrestle before God and find out what the Lord had in store for me as a woman of God.
Sheri Dew’s list of accomplishments is impressive: first unmarried woman in the general relief society presidency; first female CEO of Deseret Books; delegate to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women; biographer of two prophets; popular author and prolific speaker. Her speaking and writing style resonated with people – so much that I can’t count the number of times that I’ve heard someone say in exasperation, “you know, Sheri Dew isn’t the fourth member of the Godhead!” This path was not the one she would have picked for herself, but she dedicated herself to serving the Lord in the capacity he needed her to, and she has reached countless individuals as a result.
I haven’t read her later books, but I did read No Doubt About It, and it increased my desire to become the kind of woman the Lord wants me to be. I was also profoundly influenced by a fireside she gave during my undergrad. The standard formula for receiving personal revelation had not been working for me. As part of her address, she stated that God communicated to different people in different ways, and that you can improve your communication with God if you approach him prayerfully and ask how He speaks to you. I did, and she was right: I began experiencing revelation in ways I never would have considered before.
Sister Dew has had a measurable and profound impact on my spirituality and sense of worth as a daughter of God, and I am incredibly grateful to her for it.
6 comments:
I have to give a talk in sacrament about what it means to be a daughter of God, and this log has helped me a little bit. In my talk I will mention the achievments that every woman can accomplish, despite the fact that we all have our flaws.
As a well educated person, you know about being wary of what you read. I work at Deseret Book and have worked here for over 20 years. I work in the corporate offices and have been in many meetings with Sheri Dew.
She is not a flawed woman as you describe, she is a very mean woman who is a lesbian and her partner is Wendy Watson. Yes, Wendy is married to Elder Nelson. (Even the most elect can be deceived--President Hinckley and Mark Hoffman. She is the opposite of what she preaches.
Why do I still work at Deseret Book? Great retirement program--I'm stuck and so I survive like most of us here.
Sheri is bright, manipulative, self-centered, calculating, vengeful, self absorbed, and cruel.
Be careful what you believe. Ask people who have worked at Deseret Book what they know and think about Sheri Dew. It will scare and surprise you.
It's easy to admire the many accomplishments of Sister Dew; she is, indeed, talented & capable. The general concensus is that she is a woman of God &, seemingly, follows that path to a 'T'. We should seek out the positives in a person & not the negatives(which we all have). This is purely speculation & conjecture; I sense that Sister Dew has lesbian tendencies but, predominantly, due to her religious beliefs, does not entertain such thoughts nor engage in any homosexual practices; to do so, if not repentant, would require excommunication. When I joined the LDS Church almost 40 years ago, I believed no member could do any wrong, so, had every member elevated on a pedestal. As I grew in the Church & got wiser w/age, I realized that we are mortals who make mistakes but that, hopefully, we rectify them when possible, learn from them & try not to repeat them. Leave Sister Dew alone & be concerned w/your life.
I read this article and I loved it: You give and you speak what you have inside your heart. If you speak trash about other person,guess what you have inside...be aware of it, you can change the bad feelings, or just keept it to yourself. If other people are wrong, let's try first to be perfect ourselves, because Xochitl, we are so so far from being perfect. God bless you.
Ha! Was just thinking about Sister Dew and stumble on this blog. I worked for a church company that required I often interact with Sheri. She was terrible to be around, demanding in way that demeaned everyone in the room. She’s got some years of loneliness ahead of her.
What a mean thing to predict for someone. You don’t like her, she’s a jerk, so you envision a life of loneliness and pain for her? And type it out on a blog for others to see? That’s some bitter, vindictive, judgmental, sanctimonious crap, Molly Mormon, especially when “I can’t stand her” will do. 😉
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