Notes

From Stake Conference, the Friday night session:

     Sister S. went on a mission with her husband and while they were gone there was a death in the family, two grandkids were born and a grandson left on a mission. She said, "If you are thinking of going on a mission: pray about it, then GO!"

She went visiting teaching with her companion and they went to visit a new sister in the ward. They asked what they could do for her and she said, "Find me a husband," and so they did, and it was wonderful and she was happy.

Sis. S's nine-year-old granddaughter wore a dress with sparkly buttons to school and other kids liked them and pulled them off, but fearful of getting in troubles, threw them on the playground. She went home and asked Grandpa to go back and find them with her. He said the playground was two blocks long and how could she find them? She said, "I prayed, Grandpa!" So, they went. It was a cloudy day, but every time they got near a button, the sun shone down on it. They found all three.

Cherish the role that is uniquely yours.

     Bro. P talked about having a balanced life: Family, Church service, Career/Education, Personal/Hobbies.  When he was trying to figure out how to find balance in his life, he went to the scriptures and studied the lives of Lehi, Noah and Peter... (all people who gave up everything in their lives for church service)... Maybe God doesn't want us to have a balanced life?

But, then he talked about balanced flavors, like that in a chocolate chip cookie: we don't need the exact same amount of every ingredient, like 2 cups of flour, 2 cups of sugar, 2 cups of baking soda, 2 cups of salt, 2 cups of vanilla, 2 cups of chocolate chips; but the right amount of each item makes a delicious cookie.

Don't compare our life to the life of others. Each person's balance is different - we are each our own recipe, our own story. The recipe is always changing.

Sometimes finding balance means sacrificing something good for something that is better, or something better for something that is best. (Here is an excellent talk by Dallin H. Oaks on that subject.)

What is best will change as our family changes. We can start simply, small and simple means bring about great changes. Do what God wants us to do.

Yard by yard, life is hard.

Inch by inch, life's a cinch.

     Pres. E asked, "Are we having fun, yet?" That was a theme for him growing up. He was always looking forward to the next thing. It used to drive his wife a little nuts that he couldn't enjoy whatever stage they or their kids were in at the time, because he was always looking forward to what was next.

In the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 8 talks about the Tree of Life.  Happiness is something we choose - you have to reach up and take the good fruit.

Someone did him an injustice that day and he wanted to be mad, but he knew he was giving this talk tonight, so he just smiled and he wasn't mad anymore.

Heavenly Father knows you and he loves you; all the heavens and stars and he knows your name.

Charity is having patience with someone who has let you down, including yourself.

When he was in Primary, he was a hooligan eleven-year-old. He and his friend made up rude words to the "Hello" song that is sung to welcome visitors: "Hello, Goodbye, we hope you die and never come back again."   He would climb out the window while his teacher was teaching.

Then, he turned 12 and received the Priesthood. He and his friend were cornered in the bathroom by 2 Priests (Young men that he looked up to), who told them, "You have the Priesthood now. It's time to start acting like it. When you pass the Sacrament, have respect for the Savior."

He talked about other leaders that also had a positive impact on him like those two young men, who helped him grow into a good leader.

When the Savior visited the Nephites, he said, "Thrust your hand into my side." (3 Nephi 11:14)

Pres. E. followed that with "I know a lot of you and have a great love for your, but you haven't touched my side, and I'm not going to let you, but the Savior loves us and had them thrust their hands into his side first and then his hands and feet."

We worship a God who rejoices when we repent. Don't get down on yourself when you make mistakes. Learn from them.

We worship a charitable God who loves us and forgives us and rejoices when we repent.

He said one of the scariest phrases you hear as a kid is, "We need to talk." Sometimes he would use his ominous voice and say to his teenage son, "Son, I want to see you now," his son came he would say, "I just wanted to say, I love you." That is how it will be like at the Judgement bar of God.

Reach up and take the good fruit.