I woke up this morning to autumn leaves out the windows and the thought:
I LOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVE General Conference!!!!!
I LOVE the WHOLE General Conference weekend!!!
(whisper: Maybe even better than Christmas or Thanksgiving!!! (THAT is A LOT!))
Yesterday morning my sister-in-law and brother made their traditional FUN General Conference blast off breakfast for us!
After the morning session we took the kids to a traditional lunch-out between sessions!
When the children gathered, we put up their traditional ‘tent’ with the door facing General Conference on our television.
A family friend Stephanie, ran into Elder Hoffman at General Conference last evening!!
We printed out the traditional activity pages to let the kids color and engage in the speakers and what is happening!
Me and the girls headed out last night for the traditional ‘hen party’ (so dubbed by the Mike’s family!) while the men went to their own special session, distinctly tailored to their needs. We enjoyed our own ‘women’s session’ last week!! (Always a highlight for me too!)
BEST OF ALL, we gather together as a family. In cheer and gladness we get to stop everything to snuggle up together on the couch in the TV room to sit and listen to pure, unadulterated, simple and sure TRUTH!!!– from men and women who have LIVED that truth, they have prosperous, rewarding lives because of it, they have used it to overcome, to see them through hardships and, to benefit their marriages, to bless their families, to lift their lives to a great plane of purpose and JOY!!! Wonderfully INSPIRED, trust-able leaders of our church. IT IS TREMENDOUS!!
As the beautiful music of the magnificent choir started to drift through the house, our cue to know conference was going to begin, I grabbed my notebook and pen, encouraging my children to do the same. I hoped they all brought their questions too, as Mike and I had encouraged them to do (a tradition learned from another session of General Conference). We all headed to the ‘conference’ room.
I was surprised for a moment by the wonderful feeling swelling within me already, I LOVE gathering with my family to listen to ‘the word of the Lord’, but I had this fantastic sense suddenly of families gathering all around the whole world for General Conference!!! (197 countries, 95 languages at least and growing with each year!) It was breathtaking to feel the wonder of it all – ‘a marvelous work and a wonder’! It is truly reassuring and ultimately wonderful to know that world over, in every kind and culture, there are those who are with me in rejoicing in the truth, in desiring to follow the Lord, Jesus Christ, in fullness and faithfulness!!! Hurray!!!!! THAT is worth celebrating!!!!
One of the best realizations was also knowing we would get to watch ‘with’ Isaac, our son who is serving his mission!! (Amazing that a friend of ours ran into him AT General Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah where he is serving as he awaits his visa! He was there with a few people he is teaching and working with at this time! SOOO HAPPY!!!) Just like Christmas and Thanksgiving, Conference time brings families together! I have such fond memories as a child of my grandparents making the full days trip down from Canada to come gather with us for Conference! Wonderful, wonderful time of year!
It is an extraordinary blessing to be able to hear and incorporate simple truths that change an individual’s and a family’s life forever for good! In yesterdays sessions alone I learned:
-what focus for our family will benefit us most right now.
-how to receive personal guidance from God for my family!
-how to strengthen my children! (SOOOO important to me and you!!!! TO OUR FUTURE WORLD!)
-how to truly be MEEK & gain the attribute of meekness – wow, what a BLESSING to a FAMILY!! Nevermind a complete necessity for salvation today and tomorrow! (My daughter, Esther, jumped up thrilled in this talk as she said ‘that’s my scripture!’ For a long time now she has had memorized and quoted on her own accord “Be thou humble… and the Lord thy God shall lead thee and give thee answer to thy prayers.” So delightful to see her enthusiasm!
-a simple, sure formula to financial success & security.
-how to follow the mandate of the Lord to share the gospel of Jesus Christ! (Our Clara jumped up in now, THAT’S the scripture I said in my talk last week! So glad they were listening!)
-HOW to be HEALED! What hardship and opposition are all about.
-given HOPE for me and my family, for our extended family and friends that may suffer from ailments of all kinds, but especially mental illness or depression, HOW to manage, HOW to HOPE, HOW to be HEALED!!!!
–I learned HOW forgiveness comes, how to let that gift change your life and the lives of those around you.
-I learned again how IMPORTANT FAITH IS, one must ACT in FAITH before receiving the blessings! Like a teacher taught me long ago, Faith is an action verb!
-I was reminded to have COMPASSION, not judgement for myself, family members, or friends suffering!
-we were reminded of Heavenly Father’s LOVE for us, His children! Individually as well as collectively, in what we felt and what we heard.
-I was reminded to BELIEVE in MIRACLES!
-We were reminded of Charity – what it is, how it helps and blesses us.
-We were reminded of what makes us truly free, and that if we stay the course, true freedom will be ours in the end!
The list goes on and on…
And that was just first two sessions of conference!!!
This morning my cousin is creating a culinary masterpiece breakfast in celebratory conference spirit for all of us to enjoy. The delicious smell is drifting through the house, the bright colored autumn leaves out the window tell me it is time …
We will grab our journals, pens, ipads, and activity pages and come with our pertinent questions to gather for the last 2 sessions of general conference!
I feel like my little Babies who even at just 11 months wanted to SING during this songs of conference yesterday! Belt it out because what they were hearing was so beautiful!! This wonderful, traditional weekend of TRUTH!!
Let it change your whole life! LDS.org click on ‘General Conference’.
Love, CaMarie and Crew
P.S. So LET’s CELEBRATE light and life in marriage by incorporating at least ONE THING from Conference into our lives, our marriages, our homes! Even a 3 degree difference will put you in a MUCH BETTER PLACE in the future!! Much Love, C
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Look at all that cuteness in that family breakfast picture! I only heard a couple talks of conference amidst all the contention this weekend so I’ll have to do it talk by talk over the next few weeks. What I heard was wonderful though, as usual!
Every little difference we get from it counts and changes our future! And like you Erica, I’m SOOOO GLAD it’s available to read and listen and watch whenever! I LOVE turning on a good conference talk while I’m getting ready for the day now and then, just the pick up and focus I need to refresh and have a GREAT DAY!!
Seeing Isaac made that weekend SO much better. He has grown tremendously. His testimony and devotion toward the church had as much spirit as the CROWD of Mormons in the General conference Session I had attended just an hour before. He introduced me to an investigator he had been teaching and the glow in that man’s eyes made my day. I am truly grateful for missionaries all over the world. Their work will bring that glow to many’s eyes, only to bless others!! It is SO amazing!! I cannot do anything but smile right now, thinking about it. Conference is always SO great, but as a kid, It takes you a while to become focused and interested. I found this year being the year I was COMPLETELY excited and focused. (: So glad it has FINALLY come.
SOOO GLAD you were REJOICING with us Stephanie! And THANKS SOOO MUCH for the news of Isaac! And the awesome pic!!! Really MADE our awesome weekend!!!! Love Ya! C