General Conference

I really enjoyed General Conference this year. This year I was able to concentrate better than normal as I listened to things being said, and I was amazed at the spirit I felt and the things I learned to better myself. There were so many amazing talks but two that stick out to me today are Elder Wirthlin's talk in the Saturday afternoon session and President Monson's talk during the Sunday morning session.

Elder Wirthlin told a hilarious story about when his daughter was set up on a blind date. The "date" came and picked her up, Elder Wirthlin said that the date was quite a bit older than her and he watched them go out to his car. They didn't drive away - instead his daughter came running inside because her "date" was actually a man who was coming to pick up her other sister to babysit for he and his wife! Love IT!!! He said that instead of getting all bent out of shape, his daughter was just able to laugh about it. Elder Wirthlin said something like, "come what may and love it." That is a phrase his mother taught him. He said that no matter what life throws at us we need to learn to laugh and be happy with what is set at our feet. This helped me remember the importance of being optimistic and happy with life. I do LOVE life, I just need to make sure daily that I'm not becoming ungrateful or complaining about things that might seem difficult at the time. God wants our lives to be happy, so we shouldn't work against him and make life seem harder than it really is, rather we should be light-hearted and optimistic about life - let it be happy like it should be.

President Monson's talk on Sunday morning was also AMAZING!! He spoke about how we need to enjoy life NOW, not dwell on the past or the future, but love what we are given now. He said that if we focus on having better tomorrows we'll be left with a pile of empty yesterdays. His talk made me reflect on the deep love I have for Eric and for my family. It made me realize that I need to cherish every moment I have with these people that are so precious to me. It made me realize how I need to show more gratitude and love to Eric all the time and let him know that I love him and appreciate him. I shouldn't put off telling or showing him I love him until later, when I have more time, or whatever else. Rather I need to show and tell him right in the moment!

I thought that the timing of Pres. Monson's talk was perfect for me. He spoke a lot about having children and cherishing your time with them, not getting bent out of shape over messes and what not, but just enjoying your children all the time, because soon enough, they'll be gone and you'll miss them and their messes. My parents are an amazing example of enjoying their children in the moment. Yes, our house wasn't always the tidiest, but we were happy and mom and dad were along side us playing with us and growing a deep relationship with their children that we still have. My parents never made us feel like other things (like housework, their jobs, their schedules, or whatever else) were more important than us kids. I hope to be just like them and enjoy my children in the moment. I hope to not let their messes, the piles of dishes or the loads of laundry stress me out, but rather prioritize and always put my kids before these things that will be gone once my children are grown up. You can get a clean house back, but you can't get childhood back :) Hopefully hearing this counsel before I have my baby will help me get in the mindset of being the kind of person Pres. Monson described. Hopefully I can be better now at always putting Eric and my children before anything else, so they know that they are the most important things to me. Eric sorry you have had about a year now where this realization hadn't quite kicked in, hopefully I'll make it up to you ;)

Conference was amazing and I am so grateful to have learned the things I did!