Until about one this afternoon, the power here in our house was out because there was a problem with our power meter—it was great, though, because it meant that after I got home from home teaching, I spent a good while on the roof studying the scriptures and listening to conference talks and BYU devotionals on my iPod. I’ve done this sometimes before, but as I was sitting there today, looking out over the fields behind our office and the train tracks that pass by, with so many people walking one direction or the other along them, I really felt that I needed to do this more often. Sitting there reminds me where I am—the view from there helps me to appreciate the beauty of this country. Sometimes after work it’s easy to get trapped inside the house, reading or editing something for work or writing emails—I need to take more time out to really appreciate this place, and just be. I think that’s still missing in my life.
General Conference started tonight (well, tonight for us in Mozambique—first session was at 6 PM, second at 10), and so far it’s been amazing (General Conference being the twice-annual LDS meetings when the Prophet speaks and all the other General Authorities of the Church). It hit me between sessions how much I’ve grown to really love and look forward to General Conference—it’s like a spiritual feast twice a year, two days in which the feeling of the Spirit is almost continual, and inspiration and insight into my own life just pours out. I love having the chance to hear the words of the Lord’s servants. I love studying the talks as they come out afterwards, but there’s something about the first time you hear them live, about the insights that come and the personal bits of revelation regarding my own life that come, that don’t come nearly as often when reading them afterwards. It’s like what I picture it would be like to be present during one of the revelations received by Joseph Smith, or during King Benjamin’s address, sitting at the feet of spiritual giants and having the chance to drink in of their wisdom and the words of the Lord that come through them.
The Church released an official statement on Cheney’s graduation speech the other day, but though I sat down with it for a long time yesterday to mull it over and think about it, it’s a bit late to talk much in depth about that—that’ll wait ‘til tomorrow.
2 comments:
Dad and I are Webstreaming conference even as I write. (Cable is busted again) So far Dad's favorites are Elders Eyring and Uchtdorf and mine is Elder Bednar's pickle analogy. (Besides the analogy, I'm all about telling young people where the stuff they use and consume comes from* -- how to make things you use -- and I actually think that's a secondary agenda behind his talk. [*I do this with regards to textile and clothing all the time when we're studying European antiquity. We don't honor the production of food, clothing or shelter when we {or people we know} aren't doing it.])
We also loved Pres Hinckley's remarks about "you will all sing" and "I'm 97, but some of you may go before I do."
Also Sister Matsumori on first-generation members was good.
Whelp -- back to Elder Nelson, who isn't quite done. Dad is laughing at the subeams and "bonding blacksmiths" even as I type.
Time for Pres Hinckley again.
Love,
Mom
Don't give anything away about the last hour of Sunday Afternoon session! We had serious internet difficulties and weren't able to watch anything past Brother Dalquist (the Young Men's organization guy). We're gonna listen to the rest for FHE tonight.
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