General Conference thoughts.... a week later

I think this round of General Conference, I was actually able to listen to more than I have for a long time. And I think it was just what I needed to hear. Of course there will always be talk of the Savior and his great sacrifice for us, but it seemed magnified by ten thousand because it fell on Easter Sunday.But mostly, I appreciated all the words that were spoken in reference to mothers, parents and teaching our children in these latter days. I felt strengthened and uplifted and was reminded of the sacred, vital role that *I* play as a mother to my children.

Here were a few of my favorite talks and quotes that stood out to me:

Elder M. Russell Ballard ~ Mothers and Daughters

{This man always holds a special place in my heart since he is my dad's mission president. I have had the privilege of shaking his hand.}

"There is nothing in this world as personal, as nurturing, or as life changing as the influence of a righteous woman."

"Please look to your faithful mothers for a pattern to follow. Model yourselves after them, not after celebrities whose standards are not the Lord’s standards and whose values may not reflect an eternal perspective. Look to your mother. Learn from her strengths, her courage, and her faithfulness. Listen to her. She may not be a whiz at texting; she may not even have a Facebook page. But when it comes to matters of the heart and the things of the Lord, she has a wealth of knowledge. As you approach the time for marriage and young motherhood, she will be your greatest source of wisdom. No other person on earth loves you in the same way or is willing to sacrifice as much to encourage you and help you find happiness—in this life and forever."

"As mothers in Israel, you are your daughters’ first line of defense against the wiles of the world."

L. Tom Perry ~Mothers Teaching Children in the Home

"Teaching in the home is becoming increasingly important in today’s world, where the influence of the adversary is so widespread and he is attacking, attempting to erode and destroy the very foundation of our society, even the family. Parents must resolve that teaching in the home is a most sacred and important responsibility."

"They know that the influence of righteous, conscientious, persistent, daily parenting is among the most powerful and sustaining forces for good in the world. The health of any society, the happiness of its people, their prosperity, and their peace all find common roots in the teaching of children in the home."

“ . . . By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners” from The Family: A Proclamation to the World

Robert D. Hales ~ Our Duty To God: The Mission of Parents and Leaders to the Rising Generation

"...mothers and fathers, as you drive or walk children to school or their various activities, do you use the time to talk with them about their hopes and dreams and fears and joys? Do you take the time to have them take the earplugs from their MP3 players and all the other devices so that they can hear you and feel of your love?"

"Being there means understanding the hearts of our youth and connecting with them. And connecting with them means not just conversing with them but doing things with them too."

"In these perilous times it is not enough for our youth to merely know. They must do. To truly choose the Lord’s way, they must know His way. And to truly know His way, we must teach and lead them to act, to participate, to do."

"The greatest missionary work we will ever do will be in our homes.
The greatest family history work that we will do will be within our own homes.
The greatest rescue, the greatest activation will be in our homes.
The greatest faith we have will be within our homes as we remain strong in the trials and tribulations of parenthood.
The greatest love and the greatest teachings should be in our homes."

Bradley D. Foster ~ "Mother Told Me"

I love, love, LOVED his opening anecdote, telling of a father reading his child a bedtime story. There are no words in the book, just pictures. Apparently dad uses different terminology than mom because the child is quick to correct dad, essentially saying that's not what mom calls it. Then the dad asks, "Who is the ultimate authority in this house?" to which the child replies, "You are, Dad." Dad is pleased and then asks, "How did you know that?" And the child responds, "Mother told me!" I told Matt I knew I was gonna like this guy! ;)

He also told another story about herding cattle from one place to another. When they got the cattle into the corral, they noticed three nervous cows pacing at the gate because they could not find their calves. The cowboys found the calves and attempted to shoo them onward, but the calves were scared. The more they pushed, the more the calves resisted. The rancher let the momma cows out and they immediately found their babies, who followed them back to the corral.

"Brothers and sisters, in a world where everyone is granted agency, some of our loved ones may stray for a season. But we can never give up. We must always go back for them—we must never stop trying."

"Perhaps the reason we respond so universally to our mothers’ love is because it typifies the love of our Savior. As President Joseph F. Smith said, 'The love of a true mother comes nearer [to] being like the love of God than any other kind of love.'"