Once upon a time, there were
three young princesses. Their parents were very dear friends of neighboring kingdoms and
frequently visited one another. The princesses soon became friends. While their parents
were discussing boring matters of state, they would play fun games and talk until all
hours of the night. By the time this story starts, they were twelve years old and noticing
boys. Of course they talked about princes, what else? They would say things like,
"When I grow up, my prince is going to be so strong and handsome and look just like
Ben Afleck" And they'd say, "When I grow up, I'm going to be the best queen and
everyone is going to admire me." Well, one of those "boring matters of
state" that their parents discussed was how fast their daughters were growing.
They all decided that it was just about time that the princesses started preparing
themselves to become queens.
So, each princess was given a book entitled, Preparation for Queenhood in Six Easy Years
and another one entitled Noble Attributes for All. Finally, they gave them a toll free
24-hour tutor line for up-and-coming princesses. The first princess looked at the covers
of the books and thought to herself, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've got plenty of time.
Besides, romances and magazines are much more interesting." So, she decided not to
worry about it. She stuck the books under her bed and didn't even give them a second
thought. She never bothered to call the toll-free tutor line and promptly lost the phone
number. Her six years went by and the books become unrecognizable from the dust. She,
however, was easily recognizable. She wasn't any more queenly than she was when she was
twelve.
The second princess looked at the books. "These look pretty interesting." So she
read through them. But they had Queenly exercises for practicing queenly things, which
seemed pretty time consuming. She was too busy to actually do them. She tried the
toll-free tutor line for up-and-coming princesses a few times. She always got the help she
needed, but she was too busy to use the number frequently. Her six years went by. The
books were read, she had some tutoring, and she learned some exterior queenly attributes
and behaviors, but she was not the prepared, polished, refined, and internally queenly
person she could be.
The third princess looked at the books. Then she opened Preparation for Queenhood in Six
Easy Years and read it. Throughout her six years, she tried all of the exercises. She
decided which exercises she would work on, made reminders for herself, and recorded what
she accomplished. She practiced dancing and eating properly, making speeches, conversing
politely, helping others, hostessing graciously, planning parties, and everything else
that queens need to know. She developed her talents in singing, sewing, foreign language,
art, writing, and playing musical instruments. She even learned how to manage the finances
of the castle and train princes and princesses of her own. It turned out that Preparation
for Queenhood in Six Easy Years recommended the other book that her parents gave her. So,
she read Noble Attributes for All from cover to cover and daily practiced what she learned
tutor line--at least twice a day. The tutor line proved to be very helpful as she
struggled with acquiring various queenly attributes. Soon she became more friendly, happy,
smart, wise, loving, thoughtful, beautiful, and kind. A year or two went by. Then, news
came that a prince from a nearby kingdom was on his way home from a two year quest.
"Oh!" said each of the princesses. "I hope he stops by MY castle."
Each of the princesses would get their wish, since their castles were on the very road the
prince would follow.
News reached the first castle that a prince was not far down the road and planned on
staying the night. It was also gossiped that he was looking for a queen. The princess
excitedly put on her prettiest dress and a servant did her hair. A tired but handsome
prince knocked at the first castle's gate just before dinnertime. A servant met the prince
and welcomed him in. The prince introduced himself and he was led into the dining hall to
meet the royal family. Everyone said that they were pleased to meet him, except the
princess, who hadn't learned many queenly manners yet and had forgotten the ones she had
learned, in her excitement. She merely turned red and stammered out a gruff, "What
did you say your name was again?"
At dinner, she forgot that she was with company and slurped her soup and wiped her mouth
on her sleeve. Music started playing and the prince asked her to dance, but she
danced only a few steps before realizing she didn't know that dance, or any other one they
played that evening. All she could do was the more "modern" ones that she and
her friends had made up. Her mother and father sang a duet together to entertain their
guests, but the princess could do nothing to entertain or to make people feel more
welcomed. She went to bed that night totally miserable.
The prince was at the table when the princess arrived downstairs for breakfast. "I'm
sorry about last night. I hope I didn't put you on the spot." She smiled.
"I guess I'll get over it." She prepared to sit and the prince helped her with
her chair. She awkwardly sat down. She wasn't used to people helping her with her chair.
"So, tell me something," said the prince. "What kind of queen do you want
to be?"
"I want to be a wonderful queen. I want to be beautiful, rich, and elegant."
"What have you done to become that way?" inquired the prince.
The princess' mind flashed back to the dusty books under her bed and the unused tutor
line. Not much, yet. But, I'm planning on working very hard now and I'm sure I'll
be a wonderful queen. Just wait and see." |
Unfortunately, the prince did not have time to "wait and see." He was leaving
that morning and was not planning on returning to the area for quite some time. By then,
he hoped to be married. Though the princess was pretty, she simply was not prepared to be
his queen just then. He said good-bye and thanked everyone for their hospitality. Then he
was gone. The first princess sighed. "That didn't go very well."
While the first princess wallows in her misery,
we'll visit the second castle where news of the soon-to-be-arriving prince has
turned the castle upside-down in a flurry of preparation. They knew that
the prince would be looking for his future queen, so the second princess dressed
herself in her loveliest gown and did her hair and prepared to meet the prince.
Again, tired but handsome, the prince knocked at the second castle's gate just
before dinnertime. Again, a servant met the prince and welcomed him in. The
prince introduced himself and he was led into the dining hall to meet the
royal family. Everyone said that they were pleased to meet him. The princess
even did an impromptu curtsey, which charmed him.
At dinner, the princess spoke with the prince about a variety of issues, but found
she knew much less about each subject than she thought. How she wished she had paid
better attention to things around her! She was very pleasant until her brother
made a face at her and she made a snide remark about him to the prince under
her breath. But the prince was not impressed by her clever but rude
comment. "Whoops," she thought.
She was a passable dancer after dinner, though not terribly graceful. She also read a
poem she had written. But, when the prince complimented her on it, she just made fun
of it, making the prince wonder if it was actually a good poem or if his taste
was bad.
When the evening had ended, the princess went to sleep thinking that she might have a
chance with such a polished and handsome prince. But she cringed at the snide remark
to her brother and her reaction to his compliment. She hoped he hadn't
noticed.
The next morning, the princess met the prince on the way to the dining room.
"Hi," she said. "Did you sleep well?" "Yes, thank you,"
replied the prince. She prepared to sit and the prince helped her with her chair. She
sat down and the prince sat across from her. The servant was slow to bring the
food out, even though the princess knew he had seen them enter. "Pierre! Hurry
up!! We're WAITING!" hollered the princess. Then she turned to the prince,
"I'm sorry about Pierre. Sometimes he is so inattentive." She smiled.
"So, tell me something," said the prince. "What kind of queen do
you want to be?" "I want to be a wonderful queen. I want to be
refined, beautiful, and elegant." "What have you done to become that
way?" inquired the prince. The princess' mind flashed back to the books under
her bed, read but not practiced, and the infrequently used tutor line.
"Well, I've read about it and I've thought about it. But, now I'm going to
practice what I learned. I'm going to be a wonderful queen. Just wait and
see."
Unfortunately, the prince did not have time to "wait and see" about
this princess either. He was leaving that morning and hoped that his next trip
would be for courting, not to see if a princess had improved enough to
be courted. He didn't want to wait the years it would take for her to be
a hospitable and worthy queen. Though the princess was pretty and had some
manners, she simply was not prepared to be his queen just then. He said
good-bye and thanked everyone for their hospitality. Then he was gone. The second
princess sighed. "I don't think he's coming back."
While the second princess tries to figure out what to do better next time, we'll
visit the third castle where news of the soon-to-be-arriving prince has been heralded
to every room. Everyone whispered that the prince was looking for his future
queen, so the third princess dressed herself in her loveliest gown and did her hair
and prepared to meet the prince. Again, tired but handsome, the prince knocked
at the third castle's gate just before dinnertime. Again, a servant met the prince
and welcomed him in. The prince introduced himself and he was led into the
dining hall to meet the royal family. Everyone said that they were pleased to meet
him. The princess ran to his side and asked if there was anything she could do to
make him more comfortable. "Here is a fresh change of clothes. Jean-Paul,
please show him to his room right away and let him freshen up. Then show him in
to dinner. We'll wait for him."
The prince bowed deeply and went off to his room to bathe and change clothes. He
noticed that the princess had decorated the room with some lovely sketches and
tapestries she had made. Fresh flowers had been set in a simple but pretty vase
in expectation of his arrival. He also noticed that a little card welcoming him was
placed by his bed.
When he returned to the dining room, the prince was invigorated. The princess made
him feel comfortable by asking about where he was from and about his recent
adventure. Though she had plenty to say, she did not dominate the conversation
and spoke in a sweet voice. She never mocked others and only said kind things
to and about those she knew or heard about. The prince was impressed with her
knowledge and interest in other lands and customs.
After dinner, they had dancing. The prince asked the princess to dance. She accepted
and soon they were wrapped up in conversation and gracefully moving to the music.
When they tired of dancing, she sang a song she had written and accompanied
herself on the harp. It was getting late, so all went to bed. Before the
princess fell asleep, she smiled to herself. "Isn't he wonderful? I had so
much fun with him tonight!"
The next morning, the princess met the prince on the way to the dining room.
"Good morning!" she said. "Did you sleep well?" "Yes, thank
you," replied the prince. She let the prince help her with her chair. The prince
sat across from her. The servant was slow to bring the food out, so the princess
excused herself and went to the kitchen to see what was the matter. She returned a
few minutes later. "I'm sorry, the servants didn't wake up on time. They're
getting dressed right now. If you would like, we can wait. But, I can make breakfast,
and it won't be a bother at all!" She smiled. "Would you like to join me in
the kitchen?" "Sure," answered the prince, surprised yet pleased
by this unusual turn of events.
"So, tell me something," said the prince, as he made the orange
juice. "What kind of queen do you want to be?" The princess,
cheerfully scrambling eggs, replied, "I want to be a wonderful queen. I want to
be refined, beautiful, and elegant." "What have you done to become that
way?" inquired the prince, though he could tell that she had done a lot.
The princess' mind flashed back to the books by her bed, studied and applied, and
the frequently used tutor line. "Well, I've read a lot, but I've also
tried to practice what I've learned. I selected goals and measured my progress.
Now, most things I just do by habit, though there are many things that I'm
still working on." She blushed because she didn't want to brag, but she
was pleased with her accomplishments.
"Well, I think that you'll make a terrific queen. Look how pleasant you've made
my stay here. Thank you," said the prince. "You're welcome. And thank you!
Breakfast is served!" It was delicious, and the prince was even more
impressed with this princess.
When the prince left, he said, "I really enjoyed being with you. Would you mind
if I came back and visited soon?" The princess was delighted, as were her
parents. Soon, the prince visited the castle regularly. The princess visited his
castle, too, and became good friends with his family. Soon, a wedding date was
announced and the two kingdoms rejoiced. They married and started their
life's adventure together, and they lived happily ever after.
Though this is the last of our story, their story is just beginning. "Happily
Ever After" really means that they had joys and trials, shared their lives, had
a family, and did many other things. Marriage isn't the end, but merely
the beginning of their story. And so it is with you.
Why did the first two princesses lose out on a wonderful prince and a terrific
kingdom to help rule? They were not prepared to be good queens. So, why didn't they
prepare themselves? Each of them had an equal chance to prepare, so what
happened? Well, maybe they didn't realize just how short their time to prepare really
was. Maybe they didn't place the proper value on being a queen. Maybe
they didn't realize that you can't cram preparation for being a queen. Maybe
they thought that preparation wasn't really necessary for queendom. Maybe they
didn't realize their special place as a princess, daughter to a king. Whatever it
was, they lost a wonderful opportunity to do what they were born to do, be a queen in
a wonderful kingdom with a wonderful king. Now these princesses can change. But,
it will take a lot of hard work to make up for all of that lost time. If only
they had used the time they were given! Then they also could've have been prepared
when a prince came by.
Each of you are like those princesses. You are daughters of a Heavenly King. You have
been given books, your Young Women's manual--which will help prepare you for wifehood
and motherhood in the six years you are in the program, and the scriptures. If
you read and apply the principles you learn from these books, you will
be prepared to enjoy your life as a woman, a wife, and a mother. These roles are
wonderful and bring happiness and fulfillment. These roles are not easy and
require preparation--preparation which takes years to complete. If you are
prepared, you can make wise choices, marry a righteous man in the temple, raise your
children in the Gospel, and have a happy life. If you are not prepared, doing
those things will be much more difficult or close to impossible to do. The
toll-free 24-hour tutor line for up-and-coming princesses is prayer. Use it daily
and God will help you become your best self. He will give you the
strength, courage, wisdom, and endurance to do what you need to do to fulfill
your divine role as a woman. Though marriage is only the beginning and not just
a blissful end summed up by the words "happily ever after," it can be
a very exciting and happy time for you if you are prepared and make wise
choices.
So, Be the Girl of your Dreams. Dream, but also BE!
Personal ProgressHome |
