Conference: a review

I am always grateful for the advances of modern technology, but perhaps the time I am most grateful for this is during General Conference. In my pre-kid life (or, as another mother once told me "my B.C. or 'before children' life"), I was a diligent, get-dressed-in-my-Sunday-clothes-and-go-to-the-church-with-notebook-in-hand-for-all-four-sessions-of-Conference type of attendee. I think I started attending all four sessions when I was about 14 or 15 and with very few exceptions (a few Saturday sessions on my mission and Saturday morning during my race), I haven't missed watching a session of Conference live. Since having kids, we have only watched Conference at home (either our home or someone else's). In some ways, it's nice being able to watch Conference while the kids nap upstairs. In other ways, it makes it sooooo much easier to get distracted and not pay attention (or fall asleep on your couch). And when the kids are awake? I'll just let the picture speak for itself:

Kenta, trying to calm Abby (who was having a major meltdown) with a round of "Ito maki maki" while Thomas drives trains in the buff (he apparently likes to get REALLY comfortable while watching Conference). So...yeah. Bits and pieces were definitely gleaned, but my first thought at the end of Conference was, "Wow. I really need to listen to all of that again. And again. And again."

All of this to say, I am very grateful for the speediness at which Conference talks are available for reviewing after a session has ended. On Saturday while Kenta was at his Priesthood meeting, I watched part of the Saturday morning session that I had missed. When I was growing up (well...the pre-internet years of my growing up) we had to wait a few weeks for the Conference talks to come via the Ensign. Now, you can almost immediately access them on the internet. And as I've started listening to Conference again, I can't help but thinking, "where much is given, much is required". We have all of these inspiring messages, readily available to review and share. What am I doing with them? Am I reviewing them? Am I applying them? Am I sharing the messages with others?

While there were so many good talks (as there always are at Conference), there was one in particular that touched me. Boyd K. Packer specifically addressed the "rising generation" (and I still include myself in this group) with some very wise counsel. He spoke of personal experiences, such as his reaction to the news of Pearl Harbor when he was a senior in high school. He was very unsure of his future, if he would live through the war, or if it was "the beginning of the end", as far as the world was concerned. Hearing him speak about his concerns and uncertainty during this time, I was reminded of my own concerns and uncertainty right after 9/11 - when I was a senior in high school. And here he was, 87 years old, having lived (and still living) a long, full life, despite living through troubling times. With all the uncertainty and turmoil in the world today, it was a good reminder to me that I need to look forward with faith. I do not know what tomorrow or next year or the next decade brings for me, my family, my country, or the world, but I know in Whom I trust and Whose side I am on. What a beautiful message of hope that is for all of us.