General Conference 2013

I am so grateful this weekend for the miracle of technology.  I say this all the time, I know, but it is SO amazing to me that within my lifetime, we as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have gone from meeting in a church building to watch Conference broadcasts via satellite transmission, to streaming both the live audio as well as the video right on our iPhones.  

As the girls and I traveled home from Austin to Dallas yesterday, we were able to find General Conference on lds.org and listen to it all the way home.  We paused the speakers when we had to stop for breaks, and then we would start them right where we left them when we got back in the car.  I could not help but marvel at the amazing and incomprehensible blessing technology is in our lives.  

There was so much to love about this Conference.  I loved Elder Holland's talk that so compassionately addressed mental health and depression issues that all of us have or will be affected by either directly or indirectly at some point in our lives.  

"Whatever your struggle, mental or emotional, or physical or otherwise.  Trust in God.  Hold on in His love.  Know that one day the dawn will break brightly and all shadows of mortality will flee.  Though we may feel we are like a broken vessel, we must remember that vessel is in the hands of the Divine Potter."  

"I bear witness of that day when loved ones whom we knew to have disabilities in mortality will stand before us glorious and grand, breathtakingly perfect in body and mind.  What a thrilling moment that will be.  I do not know if we will be happier for ourselves that we have witnessed such a miracle or happier for them that they are fully perfect and finally free at last.  Until that hour, when Christ's consummate gift is evident to us all, may we live by faith, hold fast to hope, and show compassion one for another."

I loved Elder Hales talk on Saturday morning teaching us how to actively listen and be attentive to the lessons and instruction that comes through the Holy Ghost.  
"In Conferences we can receive the word of the Lord meant just for us.  The Holy Ghost carries the word of the Lord unto our hearts in terms we can understand. When I take notes at Conference, I do not always write down exactly what the speaker is saying.  I note the personalized direction the spirit is giving me.  What is said is not as important as what I hear and what I feel.  That is why we make an effort to experience Conference in a setting where the still small voice of the Spirit can be clearly heard, felt and experienced."

President Monson's talk this morning touched my heart.  His usual light hearted stories of service and love were replaced with a lovely tribute to his sweet wife who passed away in May of this year.  I love this man, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to hear his voice and see his sweet smile every April and October.

And of course, I always love President Eyring.  Always.

But my all time favorite talk of this Conference was Elder D. Todd Christofferson who spoke about the moral force and contribution of women's roles.  In his talk he quoted a previous talk by Margaret Nadauld.  "The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender.  There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind.  There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined.  We have enough women of fame and fortune.  We need more women of faith.  We have enough greed; we need more goodness.  We have enough of vanity; we need more virtue.  We have enough popularity; we need more purity."  

What a lovely reminder that even though we sometimes strive for the things of the world, the very best things to strive for are tender moments, happy children, and love abounding at home.

I loved every part of this Conference weekend and I am so very grateful to have the opportunity to listen and be inspired to be a little more Christlike than I was before.  I look forward to listening more closely to the talks and reading the words over again in the coming days and weeks, but to be immersed in them for an entire weekend is complete bliss.