I LOVE General Conference weekends and look forward to the beginnings of October and April eagerly. No callings to worry about and no worry about whether every one's clothing choices are in ready. There's no rush in the bathrooms or worry about the availability of hot water on a schedule. Getting to listen to testimony affirming talks and beautiful music from the comfort of home is both calming and exhilarating. There is peace and quiet and joy.
There are many happy memories we have of past Conferences. We always have a big family breakfast before the morning sessions. If Friday night permits we'll have cinnamon rolls prepared too. The women do something fun together, usually a chick flick pajama party, while the men dress in Sunday best and attend the Sat. evening Priesthood session. Steve and I held firm to certain rules to help our children learn to appreciate these times. We all stayed in the family room together. No hand held video games or books are allowed because it takes all the concentration away from the meetings. Instead our children developed a tradition of getting out one set of toys to play with. Building with Legos, K'nex, Magnetix and even Jenga (go figure) were the favorites. If irritations arose over the sharing of toys they had to be put away for the rest of the session. Steve would be on the floor with them saying it helped him stay awake but I know he loved being with them. Only in the last few years the toys have stayed under beds in their boxes. Sometimes there are notes being taken, sometimes the nail polish comes out, but mostly they listen, enjoy the Spirit that permeates the house and, like the adults they are becoming, try to be comfortable while staying awake.
I'm always sad when the last session is over on Sunday afternoon and real life creeps in. The phone starts ringing and thoughts turn to homework and the demands of the week to follow. But I always strive try to honor the Spirit I've been touched with and use it in my life, hoping it makes me a better wife, mother, daughter and friend. Love to all!
