General Conference Weekend

 It's hard to believe that it's May 20th and this is the first time I'm posting on the blog this month! May is simply flying by. I planned to get back into it last week, but I came home from the cruise (which was wonderful) with a nasty cold that kept me down for most of last week. I haven't been that sick in over four years. It's been humbling. I'm still recovering but am feeling much better, so it's time to blog again!

I've said it before and I'll say it again: General Conference weekend is one of my favorite weekends of the year. As always, it was peaceful and full of inspiration. This particular weekend was a little unusual because for the first time since he-who-shall-not-be-named left, Sam wasn't with me for Conference weekend, but he came over for the morning session on Sunday. I also missed John and my mom being there. Additionally, I worked at the library until early Saturday afternoon, so I had to catch up on the sessions. But it all worked out and it was a good weekend.

Violet continued to heal from her surgery. I'm so thankful she's still with me.

What's Conference without a few selfies? 😜

I don't know why I took some profile shots, but I did. The laptop was where I was streaming Conference from YouTube to the TV. It works well, but I do miss having the BYU Channel.

I worked on catching up on things in my planner during some of the downtimes.

It was good to have Sam's company when he came over on Sunday. I miss the kids when they're not home with me. It still doesn't feel quite right, and I'm not sure that it ever will. 

I cried a lot during President Nelson's talk for two reasons: 

1) His message about the temple and its power was like a direct message to me that I've been living right and making good choices and priorities in my life. It was so validating, and it felt good to know that what he was saying was absolutely, 100% true, because I've experienced it for myself. 

2) I cried because he's aging and probably doesn't have a lot of time left. His message was pre-recorded and he gave it sitting down. I have such a soft spot in my heart for this particular prophet. His counsel has blessed my life greatly and it helped me so much during the hardest time of my life, making it a time of growth and learning and progress instead of despair.

 I don't want President Nelson to die, even though I know that it will just be graduating on to the next phase of life. But I know that I'll feel bereft for awhile without this wonderful man of God on the earth anymore. I say that knowing that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and my covenants with Them are my true source of power and joy. Prophets help bring us to Christ more fully, which President Nelson has so effectively helped me do. I really hope he makes it to age 100 this fall (and beyond). In the meantime, I'll continue to follow his inspired counsel and stay close to the Spirit and the Lord in my life.