Virtue: My Three White Dresses

In the 1993 October General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Elder L. Tom Perry gave an address called “Choose the Right.” In his talk he discussed the importance of choosing the right.

He testified, “I hope and pray that you great young people of the Church will have the courage to consistently choose the right! Moreover, I suggest that each of you find or create reminders to help you and your loved ones choose the right when a choice is placed before you. There is power in a tie tack, a CTR ring, or a white dress hanging in the closet if we associate them with our desires for purity and righteousness. Even more important than physical reminders is to have the conviction deep down in our hearts to live the kind of life that will cause us to make the right choices, not only for peace and happiness in the world right now, but also for peace and happiness eternally.

I promise you that you will receive everlasting happiness if you consistently choose to do what is right.”

In this talk he introduced a poem that was written for his granddaughter by her mother and recited at her baptism called,

My Three White Dresses

My mom bought me a white dress,

Not red or pink or blue.

She said it was a special dress

Like very other few.

There has been just one before,

A dress now put away,

That I wore some time ago

Upon my blessing day.

As a little baby clothed

In my first white dress,

My dad held me in his arms,

There to name and bless.So pure and clean was I just then,

With time to grow and learn

About the Father’s plan for me.

My glory I must earn.

Now I’ve reached the age to judge

The wrong road from the right,

And I am here to be baptized

In this dress of white.

So once again I’m free from sin.

The path is clear to me.

I’ll grasp the rod and hold on tight,

I vow with certainty.

Just as mud would stain my dress,

Sin would stain my soul.

The key is to repent or bleach,

For whiteness is my goal.

And if I try my very best,

Then richly blessed I’ll be,

Wearing inside God’s holy house

White dress number three.

So today I make this pledge:

I’ll strive to choose the right,

Through this sacred baptism ordinance

In my second dress of white.

(Linda Gay Perry Nelson, 1993)

Today cool LDS girls are reminded of that poem by this new great Mormon Message. I hope you enjoy it!