3 Weeks of Conference

The last 3 weekends have been Conference weekends for us. I'd like to think of them as 3 weeks of feasting.. just about right as the weather changes and we get into the mood for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years- all times of feasting in one manner or another. Only these last 3 weeks for us haven't been physical feasting, but a buffet of the spiritual kind.. uplifting, inspiring, and enriching for our souls. I haven't always appreciated conferences. I usually tended to find them boring and bothersome to attend to. With small children it is difficult to not only listen to what is being spoken of, but to focus and really HEAR what is being taught. This year though I really felt the need to attend and do everything I can to get even a small amount out of it.. Every little bit helps add to something learned and felt.
When I was a youth of about 8 or 9 yrs of age, I remember that as members living in Arkansas, we would all meet at the church building and listen to conference being broadcast in the chapel. My mother took the 6 of us, but having so many young children, twin infants among them.. we ended up in the nursery room instead where we could play and she could still hear over the speaker. I remember not really paying much attention.. these old guys weren't really talking to me were they? and even if they were it was far too difficult to pay attention to. But, I could still hear it in the back ground while I goofed off. Then seemingly out of nowhere suddenly one of the speaker's words jumped out at me and I remember them still to this day. He said that, " "I'm sorry means that you're sorry for what you did and that you wont do it again". Now I don't know why this really caught my attention or why it has stuck with me all these years, but it has. After that I tried much harder though in vain to comprehend what the speaker was saying. Nothing else really stuck with me. My mind kept going over what been spoken to my soul. I never did find out who that speaker was, but those words really meant something to me then.
Many years later when I was a teen, one of my young womens' church leaders encouraged us to take a notebook while we listened to General Conference because it would help her to listen more intently and to write down what stood out to her. In writing, we also learn more and it helps to not only internalize it better by writing it, but also one can go back and re-read it later for added inspiration. It helps a person to remember what they learned so that there is a more lasting influence received. Well that next General Conference I did so and, even though I no longer have those notes, I remember being amazed at how much I had learned. I hadn't really noticed anything before during previous conferences that would really stand out to me or have any kind of meaning. Now I wont say that I've always done that during every conference meeting since. We moved around alot and I missed alot of conferences and in turn, alot of things that not only I would have learned, but that would have served to help boost my spirit when I was far from home or struggling with marriage and life in general. I am only now realizing just how much I have missed in these conferences and in not having the Ensign to help me review these things.
Three weekends ago it was Stake Conference for us. I felt very strongly the need to attend and to soak up as much as I could. I was having a difficult day and could use any inspirations I could get. A sister in the row in front of us had a notepad and pen and now I wish I'd had a notepad too. We had two area 70 in attendance speak to us as well as their wives, the mission president and his wife, and the temple president and his wife. The spirit poured forth from these strong witnesses of Christ to me and I was overcome with tears multiple times during their talks and the hymns sang. I did manage to find a pen and wrote down my thoughts and the things that impressed me on the back of my copy of the hymnal we were singing as a congregation. The thing that really gripped me was when one of the speakers had all of the children stand up and spoke directly to them. He said that there would be times when those around them would be doing things that they know are wrong. During these times it may be necessary to stand alone. "Stand alone if you must" he said and as I looked at my young son and daughter standing up and I knew that one day they would have to stand up for what's right. I could see them standing alone amidst a crowd of disbelievers and that brought tears to my eyes. I vowed to myself to put those words on a plaque in each of their rooms to remind them that it's okay to stand alone sometimes and they will have to, but that moment will pass and they will be happy and blessed for knowing they did what's right.
The following weekend was Relief Society conference. Sadly I didn't get to hear much of this between caring for noisy children and making dinner, but thankfully I can go back and hear this again later on the LDS website.
I missed the Saturday morning , half of the Saturday evening, and half of the Sunday morning sessions as well, so after the Sunday evening session was over and in between preparing dinner, I replayed the Saturday morning session in audio online. Some of the notes I took and things I learned from those sessions are these:
Sometimes we become angry with God and ask Him "why me? why did this happen to me? Don't you care?" and things of this manner.. but God doesn't intervene to prevent the consequences of some peoples' choices to protect people from them. They're a natural part of life. They're part of our trials. We shouldn't be sheltered from every bad thing.
Temperance is to exercise control in all things, to examine our desires. Like tempered glass that is refined and made stronger, being temperant is increased spiritual strength for us.
The scriptures do not say that we will forget our forsaken sins, rather that God will forget them. We are allowed to remaine with the residue of our regret so that we can remain humbled by them and learn.
Real intent means we REALLY intend to follow instructions given to us via revelation. After that we need to study the matter out. Also we should write down any inspirations during our church meetings, then study those out. After that we should pray to find out if there is anything else we can learn from it.
An easiness and willingness to believe and I add to follow, to go and do, will come the more we do the little things instructed of us. You must exercise your agency to authorize the spirit to teach you.
Sometimes the blessings from our burdens are well disguised adn we don't see them until later. They require time and faith to understand. We should submit to those burdens cheerfully and with patience.
These are just some of the things that I learned and felt impressed to write down so that I may study them out later. Some other things that I decided would be more conducive to the spirit of learning would be to still treat Conference sundays as any other sunday.. Get up and get dressed in your Sunday best. This way we'll not only be a little more reverent, but invite the spirit in. We should still have a morning prayer to help prepare ourselves to learn. I printed out a conference packet for the kids to share, and that encouraged Celeste mightily to participate that way in conference. Corbin seemed unaffected by it so next time I'll be sure to give him his own. We've also decided it would be good to invite another family over to listen to conference with us. We can then have lunch together or even dinner in between or after sessions.
Conference has been a wonderful banquet for me this year and I am excited and look forward to the next General Conference in April as well as next Stake Conference. I'm going to go back and listen to what I missed and listen with real intent.