Love General Conference.....

 Good Timber

The tree that never had to fight

For sun and sky and air and light,

But stood out in the open plain

And always got its share of rain,

Never became a forest king

But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil

To gain and farm his patch of soil,

Who never had to win his share

Of sun and sky and light and air,

Never became a manly man

But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease:

The stronger wind, the stronger trees;

The further sky, the greater length;

The more the storm, the more the strength.

By sun and cold, by rain and snow,

In trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest lies the forest growth,

We find the patriarchs of both.

And they hold counsel with the stars

Whose broken branches show the scars

Of many winds and much of strife.

This is the common law of life.

This is one of my favorite weekends of the year. I love to listen to General Conference and hear from our wonderful Prophet and his Apostles. President Monson shared one of my favorite poems. I immediately thought of the photos I had just looked at that were taken when we hiked the Temple Quarry. I thought of how the leaves on the trees change and how the branches endure all the changes, winds, storms, and they give beauty for others to enjoy. Just like our wonderful Prophet does. I loved President Monson's analogy. My other favorite talks have been President Uchtdorf's and Elder Holland's. Mike and I love how Elder Holland shares his own experiences with life's trials and shows compassion and caring. His talks are so eloquent, but carry such a deep meaning. We also loved Elder Bednar's talk on tithing. I have had times in my life when it has been difficult to pay tithing and I must admit I have been judgemental as to where the tithes may go. I have had to ask for forgiveness because in the end I have seen how blessed my family has been because we have made it a priority to pay tithing. Mike is such a great spouse for me this way. When I was struggling with the tithing aspect he reassured me that the blessings would come and he insisted that it was paid. I am amazed at his diligence even when we have been given trials he always perseveres. He is such a great husband and wonderful father.  Other things I love about conference is our traditional breakfast of eggs and pancakes (the boys love this), going to church in your PJ's, and being together as a family. We also love to listen to conference and take a ride in the mountains looking at the Fall leaves.