I love a lot of things about general conference, but one of the things I love most is that it seems to come by at the right intervals. A lot can happen in six months, so getting a fresh batch of prophetic counsel so regularly is most helpful. I’m always interested to see how the talks affect me, based on where I am at the point when they’re given.
This past conference had some particularly poignant moments for me because I knew, as it was in progress, that my beloved Aunt Rosemary was likely to be leaving us soon. She passed away yesterday afternoon, so as I’m reviewing my notes now I feel them even more keenly. You have to understand that in my extended family, cousins are more like siblings and aunts and uncles are pretty close to being additional parents. That enormous blessing has been perpetuated largely by Aunt Rosemary’s having hosted for years a weekly family gathering in her home to which any family members who happened to be in town could come. So her loss looms large for many people.
In that setting, Elder Scott’s talk naturally went straight to my heart. I knew he had suffered the loss of loved ones; I had no idea the extent of those losses. But then the conference as a whole seemed largely geared to helping us deal with change and loss and adversity, though never in a context of sadness but always of hope. I found myself particularly struck by Elder Christofferson’s discussion of covenants. It made me feel safe. It made me feel as if, whatever happened, we had a foundation of solid rock upon which to build.
As the hymn “Abide with Me” suggests, “Change and decay in all around I see.” That has seemed truer than ever over the last six months. Like you, I’ve seen good friends lose their jobs. I’ve seen my 401K dissolve in the mist. I’ve seen the collapse of a couple of marriages under the strain. And now I’ve seen someone I love make the biggest change of all. I long for the guiding hand, the solid comfort of the One who doesn’t change.
That’s what conference meant to me, this time around.
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