Thoughts about General Conference

Tonight I read the article in the March Ensign about preparing your children for General Conference. It had some fabulous ideas for families of young children. It made me think of the significance of General Conference in our individual lives and in the Church. I was reminded of memories I have of general conference as I was growing up and especially as we were raising you kids. It was always a special time, and the memories of sewing projects as we sat in the basement in Logan, sitting with the family on the lawn at Temple Square for a session in the sunshine; hiking in Logan Canyon and sitting on top of the mountain to listen to a session, going to the stake center in England for a long day, are all sweet memories. We didn’t establish traditions of always doing the same thing, but we did establish the fact that Conference is special and worth planning for. This year will be another special Conference memory as Dad and I attend in the Netherlands.

The most consistent family tradition established around conference was for all the boys and their Father to attend the Priesthood session together and then have ice cream after. When your Dad ran out of boys it was a sad time for him. He still thinks of it twice a year before the priesthood session and hopes all his sons will be in attendance.

There is a feeling of love and unity, brotherhood/sisterhood that comes from being together all over the world watching or listening to conference at the same time. It is a feeling of belonging, of safety, of gratitude.

My testimony has grown and my life has been changed because of the tradition of uniting twice a year in General Conference.