So I revealed my very secretive, super secret-y secret to my mom tonight purely by accident.

I told her that I’d spent the last two weeks reading about the LDS, watching LDS videos, and slowly making my way through the Book of Mormon.  (Aside: For some reason, my mom sees me as a person of influence in her life.  If I have something to say, she wants to listen.  In her eyes, I’m successful and have made something of my life, so I guess that’s why she reacts like she does. )

Anyway, I expected her to say, “Oh, no, Rachel, not the Mormons!”  She once said, “Oh, no, Rachel, not the Catholics!  Anybody but the Catholics!” so I was prepared.

Instead, I heard, “Really?  Why?  What is it that you find appealing?”

So I told her.

And then she said, “I really need to learn to be less close-minded.  There are other faiths and religions out there that I ignore because I’m so close minded. I’d love to see what you’re seeing.  Where can I watch some of these talks?”

So I linked her to Elder Holland’s and President Monson’s talks from the latest General Conference.  And she’s planning on watching them.

I have no idea where this will lead her, because I have no idea where it’s leading me, but it felt good to actually talk to her about what I was feeling and reading and hearing.  She’s a lifelong Baptist who doesn’t go to church anywhere these days, and with the amount of stress and horrible drama that has happened in our family over the past four years (which I never, ever blog about or share because some things are just too painful and I’m not ready to talk about something that is still affecting me so strongly), she needs something.  She needs encouraging words and something to help bolster her and hold her up.  I don’t know that what I told her will make a difference, but if it helps her, I’m thrilled, regardless of where these exploratory roads may lead.