Conference Weekend

I love conference weekend when we have the opportunity to hear from our prophet and apostles. I love the Spirit that I feel and also the counsel for our time. I want my children to also love this weekend, and a friend gave me a great idea for helping them to pay attention and listen more carefully to all the talks. This past conference we tried it out, and it was a huge success. Connor asked when General Conference was going to begin, and after telling him, he exclaimed, "I can't wait for it to start!"


We started out with a bowl of commonly spoken words such as "Jesus Christ","Gospel", "Prophet", "Scriptures," etc. and at the start of each talk we all drew a new word. During that talk we listened for our word. If we heard it then we got a ticket. Some talks one person would get a bunch of tickets while someone else would only get a few; but then during another talk everyone would draw new words, and somebody else would get a bunch of tickets.


During one talk Brandon hit the jackpot with the word "prophet" and got 58 tickets.

Then, between Conference sessions they were able to trade in their tickets "Chuck-E-Cheese" style for snacks, toys, treats.... or for 100 tickets there was a $5 bill. Connor and Nicole leaned more toward instant gratification with the 5 ticket fruit snacks and cheese and crackers. Brandon had incredible luck and got about everything he wanted. Andrew was aiming for the $5 and spent all four sessions saving up till he had enough for the money. He also had enough for a rootbeer.

While the game was a lot of fun, what was really great for me was that the kids have mentioned lessons they learned and themes that they recognized. Nathan and I also listened more closely to each talk and got much more out of conference. Miraculously, all four children listened to every word of the total 8 hours over the course of the weekend.


President Uchdorf's talk really spoke to me, and I've pondered what he spoke about since then. He shared his experiences as a pilot about when he flew through turbulence. It would seem intuitive that the more turbulent a flight is, you would want to speed up to get through it; but he said that it is just to opposite. The best way to decrease turbulence was to slow down. That is such a great metaphor in our lives. I have looked at ways to slow down my own life.

I often see my life as a juggling act or as a spinning plate performance. Since then I have pondered this idea and feel that I should stop spinning the "plates" in my life and instead set them in a pile that I can hold. I don't know exactly how this will work out, but I am trying to do all things, "in wisdom and in order."

I'm reading the Biography of our Prophet, President Monson right now, and as I read of his life and example, I know that the Lord has put him in his place and that he is perfectly suited to be the Prophet in our times.

The Well-Read Woman

I've traveled the world twice over,
Met the famous; saints and sinners,
Poets and artists, kings and queens,
Old stars and hopeful beginners,
I've been where no-one's been before,
Learned secrets from writers and cooks
All with one library ticket
To the wonderful world of books.
~ Anonymous ~

I believe that reading was bred into me. Some of my earliest memories are sitting in my pajamas, pink curlers in my hair, listening with my siblings as my dad charmed us with the poetry of Nursery Rhymes. I started Kindergarten at age four, because I was already reading and my mom didn't want me to be bored. I loved to breathe the wonderful smell of a new book and often exceeded our limit of books at the library. Even now, one of my favorite treats is to know that I have a couple hours of uninterrupted reading ahead of me....especially if I have a good snack to munch on. I married into another reading family. We are now teaching a love of reading to our children.

Nathan and I recently read a book called the Thomas Jefferson Education which promotes the philosophy of teaching from the classics. We have started incorporating this philosophy in our homeschooling, and I have found myself learning in a new way. It is a thrill to re-read the stories of my youth to my children, anticipating their reactions. Almanzo proposed to Laura tonight, and my boys were a touch uncomfortable, but Nicole was thrilled.

There are a few books that I would consider all-time favorites because of the impact they had on me:

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

The Living by Annie Dillard

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

and The Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner

I love to read about relationships and how people interact. Psychology has always been fascinating to me. I love a book that makes you chew on a new concept for several weeks and sometimes for several years. I like a book that stretches me and even that I disagree with if it just gets me thinking. I'm glad to see my kids stretched out on the couch with a good book in their hands. I like discovering a new author who grips me.

I love discussing books almost as much as I love reading them. I've been part of a bookclub since before Brandon was born and have read a book a month just as part of those groups. There is even enjoyment in disagreeing over a book.

It is a privilege to be born into a society with a multitude of books at my fingertips.

I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.
Jorge Luis Borges