So late Friday we took off and headed to Utah to my Mom's house. It is always so good to be able to see and visit with her. The trip takes only 3 1/2 hours, and yet with gassing up, bathroom break it was longer....we left at 5:30 and did not get there until almost 10. In the back of my mind I kept thinking "We are seriously planning on driving to Disneyland in the Fall????" It got to a low point when the kids were complaining about what movie to watch or something like that - so much so that Kirk actually said, "When I was a kid we drove from Idaho to Texas with nothing but a Woody Woodpecker coloring book to entertain us!" We all lost it. The kids started with "That made you sound so old!" to "I am picturing you on the porch rocking in a rocking chair with a corn cob pipe in your hand while saying that in a raspy old voice!" We were laughing so hard and then things got better from there. That is one of the many things I love about my family. When things get tense it seems we can always end up laughing it off...now it make take a few minutes, sometimes hours, and sometimes even days to get to that point, but we do get there.
We stayed up late Friday night and helped my mom with things she needed done, and visited. It always feels good to be there with her. (Side note - Emme has a picture of my Father that she loves in our home. It is a 5 x 7 black and white picture in a black frame. She goes over to it almost daily and will pick it up gives it kisses and hugs it. She talks about Papa so often. The thing is that she never met him in this life.) When we got to my Mom's house she immediately walked in and said "Papa?" and started looking for him. My Mom took her around to look at different pictures of him and she could always point him out. At some point during the weekend she started calling my mom "Papa". I like to think that he was the one that saw her off from Heaven when she came to us. Some day her little mind will not be so open to the spirits around us, and when that day comes it will be sad, very sad. Because even though I know my dad's spirit is still living on, it will be a little like losing him her physically again when that happens.
The reason for our trip down to see my mom was for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints weekend of General Conference. General Conference actually last 1 1/2 weekends. It starts the last week in March with a meeting that Saturday night for all the women ages 8 and older to be taught and uplifted. Then the following weekend - the first weekend in April we get more. There is a morning session 10- noon both Saturday and Sunday - and then and afternoon session from 2-4 pm both days also. Saturday night they have the meeting for the men ages 12 and older. This is also repeated in the Fall. One of the neat things to me is that not one of the speakers are given a topic to talk on. They are suppose to give it thought and prayer and speak about what they are prompted to by the Spirit. Why this is so amazing is that with all the vast list of topics that they could speak on or are spoke on - there is always a few that pick the same topic and have a different way of approaching it. This is a blessing in my eyes, because it says to me that a topic must very important for us to hear at this time, but since we are all so different that it needs to be approached or delivered so it may touch those that are in need to hear it in a way they will be able to receive it and be blessed by it.
Now it is our tradition to always have cinnamon rolls at least one morning of General Conference weekend. The kids were thrilled when they got them on both mornings since we were in Utah on Saturday and back home on Sunday. We went down for Saturday since we were given tickets to the Saturday Morning Session. Now I have been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints my whole life, but this was the first time I was able to go and sit and listen to it live. What an amazing experience that was for me and my family!
Emme and Coulson stayed with my mom, but the rest of the crew went together. CJ was not sure he could sit through 2 hours of talks. (This kid is not much of a sitter.) I told him he can do hard things and that if he opens his heart and mind to what is going on and being said he would not only be able to sit there - he would have something touch his heart.
We arrived in our seats a little after 9 am. The meeting started at 10 am. People were visiting and room was full of a happy buzz from it. Just before 10 am, in a split second, all the talking stopped at once and everyone stood. The Prophet Thomas S Monson and his two Counselors had walked in to take their seats. CJ looked at me and whispers, "Wooooah." I leaned down and quietly asked "What?" He then said, "That was so cool mom. I could feel a change happen in the room when they walked in. There is something so strong and different. It is the Holy Ghost, isn't it?" I told him, "Yeah. The Holy Ghost can touch us quietly in our hearts to tell us something is true or to warn us. Bu tit can also fill a room in such a big way that you can physically feel it with almost all your senses."
The talks were amazing, as usual. And I am planning on blogging about a few them individually over the next few days, so I am not rushed. And CJ said at the end, "That was two hours? No way! That was not that long at all."
After the session was over, we walked outside and were faced with street preachers who were yelling that we were all going to hell and that we were sinners and that we were deceived and following a false prophet - you know the normal. ;) Anyway, I could tell as I walked with CJ next to me holding his hand, that he was getting really upset. Adyson was almost in tears. She said that amazing feeling she felt while inside was completely pushed away when they stepped outside to the yelling. Then we crossed the street, and just down a bit was a group of about 20 people lining either side of the sidewalk singing hymns peacefully. That feeling we felt inside the building rushed over us again. CJ stopped just past the singers. I looked at him and asked what was wrong. He shared this:
"I felt so sad inside when those people were yelling at us. I could not understand how they thought yelling was being Christ-like. But the minute we passed the people singing I felt good again. That was amazing."
As a parent we have the responsibility to teach our children of our faith. Our children have to learn and feel and find their own path of faith. They get around 10, 11 or 12 and you can see that they are connecting what they believe and know is true in their own hearts. It was a beautiful thing to watch my son experience faith changing things in him this weekend. To have him experience things that I have tried to explain, like how the Holy Ghost can be a comforter when we are feeling sad, and yet how it can fill our whole beings and be that powerful. To see moments where their own testimony of things bigger them start to grow is a beautiful thing to this mom.
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