Conference, in General

This past weekend was a feast of spiritual proportions, for sure. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we participated in General Conference. A time where we are taught by our leaders. Words from a prophet.

There were opportunities for reflecting and recommitting. I felt that many of the addresses were directed to me and my family. Amazing how that works.

In particular, during the Saturday morning session, the husband and I were having difficulties corralling the children and convincing them to sit and listen reverently. As voices heightened and a time out was issued, a new speaker began her talk. No sooner had she started than the husband and I exchanged knowing glances and sheepish expressions.

The speaker was teaching us to have respect for our family. To teach our children to respect others. And to do better. (this is what we drew from her message, among a few other things)

We felt repentant. It was an immediate lesson for us, right on the t.v. screen in our own family room. A servant of the Lord showing us the way to be better parents. She couldn't have shared more perfect words for us than if she had been present in our home moments before. It was as if she had been observing our family and taken action, possibly thinking, "This family needs help and instruction on how to improve their teaching methods. And I need to address this issue right now."

Once again I was touched with the applicability of General Conference messages in my life, so pertinent for Today.

I had favorite messages, of course. Some of them so full of personal testimony that all I could do was nod and make an attempt at note-taking through puddled eyes. All the talks were jam-packed with spiritual nuggets that I will feast on for the next six months. I anticipate the arrival of the addresses in The Ensign. I love to re-read them and mark them and make notes in the margins.

And then, of course, our family participated in our annual General Conference Jeopardy game. It was wonderful, as usual. The trophy was finally won by another family, thus ending the winning streak of my oldest sister's family. Her children reluctantly handed it over to my other sister and her family. It will be displayed in their home until October, when it will again be up for grabs.

I awoke this morning feeling satisfied, full. A feeling only gifts of the spirit can bring. And I think I'm going to smile a lot today. Remembering.