What I Love Most Today is General Conference

I really enjoy blogging every day during November.  I love the subject and last night I was thinking "what do I really love."  For today I've decided that what I really love most is General Conference.

When I was 19 years old, I joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Today, I'm 36 years old, which means I've been a member of this church for 17 years.   Amazing.  It all started when I met my husband Kirk, in college.  I remember first seeing him and thinking there was something so familiar about him.  I loved his face and I loved something about him, but I didn't know him.  When I found out he was "Mormon," I was very disappointed.  I wasn't religious.  I never thought much about being religious and I certainly wasn't on a "religious" path.  The more I spent time with him, the more I wanted to understand what made him so decent, happy and kind.  Before he could ask me, I asked him if I could attend church with him.  I just wanted to see; that's all, just get an idea about what his church was like.  I went to church and the moment I walked in the doors, the spirit was strong and touching.  It was a quiet side door of the building I'd walked into, with Kirk.  I hadn't spoken with anybody in the building yet, nobody was near me,  and I already knew that my life would change forever.  

Fast forward a few months and I was taking what's called the "discussions" from the LDS missionaries.  Back then the second discussion was about the "First Vision of Joseph Smith."  The moment the missionaries told me about his first vision, it was as if someone had given something back to me, that had been lost for a very long time.  I've heard people say things like, Joseph Smith may have thought he saw a vision, but he was mistaken.  This is just trivializing an incredible event.  Because what unfolded after the visions and revelations to Joseph Smith was The Book of Mormon.  An incredible, comprehensive, historical record that covers an ancient period of time in the Americas.  The Book of Mormon is at it's least, a historical writing that scholars, LDS and non LDS,  all over the world are saying cannot be ignored any longer.  It gives accurate information about a people that lived here on this continent.  The Book of Mormon at it's best, is a miracle.  It's a book that is another testament to Jesus Christ.  The Book of Mormon tells of Christ visiting the American Continent after his resurrection and above all The Book of Mormon helps us to understand the Atonement that was performed by Christ himself.  

All of these pictures are of our family watching General Conference.  Twice a year Latter Day Saints all over the world gather at our church buildings and in their homes to watch our beloved Prophet, Thomas S. Monson and his twelve apostles give us guidance and counsel.  It is truly a favorite time of year for me and our children.  Kirk and I have made it a family tradition to keep General Conference Weekend sacred and reverenced.  

During General Conference we are counseled on many different subjects all having to do with the teachings of Christ.  In this latest General Conference, one of my favorite talks was given by Tad R. Callister, the General Sunday School President of the church.  His talk was titled, "Parents: The Prime Gospel Teachers of their Children."  Here is a direct quote from his talk, that I really appreciated, 

"As parents, we are to be the prime gospel teachers and examples for our children—not the bishop, the Sunday School, the Young Women or Young Men, but the parents. As their prime gospel teachers, we can teach them the power and reality of the Atonement—of their identity and divine destiny—and in so doing give them a rock foundation upon which to build. When all is said and done, the home is the ideal forum for teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ."  

I love this talk so much because it's always been important to me as a parent to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ in my home.  I want my children to grow up remembering that the real purpose for attending church on Sunday is to partake of the Sacrament.  And that the real lessons learned about repentance, scripture study, prayer, compassion and forgiveness; I want our children to remember these principles being taught and practiced in their own home.  His talk was reassuring but it was also a reminder of what I can be doing to better our home and help our children to progress even more.

 So, people often ask me, "did you ever see this life for yourself?"  And the answer is, no.  Not in a million years could I have guessed that this would be my life.  Most of my life I planned on going to college, going to Law School and going to work.  And I was headed there when I met Kirk.  I'm thankful to this day for meeting Kirk when I did.  My life could have gone so many different ways, and I'm so glad it went this way.  

I often reflect on a time when I didn't know Heavenly Father.  When all I knew of Christ was his name.  And I'm deeply thankful for the belief, the knowledge and the conversion that has taken place in my heart.  In my life now, the issue is no longer whether I believe in God or a Savior.  I know God lives and I know the Savior is our real salvation.  The question that is most important now is, "what am I doing to be close to Heavenly Father?  What distractions in my life are keeping me from the best and most worthy of goals?"  And this is why What I Love Most Today, is General Conference. Because twice a year we get a whole weekend of amazing counsel, revelation and loving words, that we can read over and over again, to help us keep on the straight and narrow path, to help us teach our children better and to be better disciples of Christ.

(If you're not LDS and you would like to obtain a copy of the Book of Mormon, you can do so by going HERE.  For those that are LDS I've been reading the Book of Mormon this year through BOM 365 on Instagram.  It's been fantastic.  It's just a simple calendar that shows you each day the assignment to be read, to finish by the end of the year.  But what's more is that people reading along give comments and there are some very inspiring and uplifting words with reference to the specific verses assigned.  It's been great.  Enjoy.)