Canning and Conference

I have a very firm and strong testimony when it comes to my religion and beliefs, but I will probably never be the first person to step up and say that I am a super spiritual person and that I have a lot of spiritual moments. It is something that I have been wanting to work out with myself for a long time. I'm certainly not a bad person. I'm honest, caring and I do what I can to take care of my husband, children, family and friends. When I think about why I might not be as spiritual as others seem to be, I know exactly what is missing and what needs to be taken care of. I don't read my scriptures every day. I don't pray every day. We don't do either of these things as a family and we don't have family home evening. I used to be able to make a good excuse out of the fact that my hubby worked nights and I worked days and we hardly got to see each other, but now that hubby doesn't work and just goes to school full time, I can't use that excuse anymore. Uriah is getting to the age where he is a very quick learner and he watches us closely at the things we do. I want him to hear his mommy and daddy reading the scriptures, and I want him to see us praying together for meals and for family prayer, and I want him to eventually kneel down with us and be able to say his own prayers. I also want these practices to be regular events when Jordyn gets to the age where she can start doing those things too. I have tried to start getting us into the habit of praying and reading our scriptures again, but the attempts have been feeble on my part. Last Monday night the hubby and I read a chapter in our scriptures and said our prayers together, and I had every intention of making that a nightly thing, but just as quickly as it came, I crawled into bed the next night and didn't even think about it. I really wanted to try, but I just didn't have the fire in me to get things going.

And then conference came along. I usually do my best to listen, but most of the time I don't remember what was said or who said it within the following week. This time, a few of the speakers really spoke about what I needed to hear. A counselor in the Young Women's presidency said that we need to start being examples in the home to our children, no matter how young they may be. She said that today is a great day to start. It really made me feel good because, even though I haven't been doing so well, the fact that I have been trying and starting to get the spiritual "ball" rolling in our home is better than not trying at all. 

Another speaker talked about how husbands and wives need to be in tune with each other and to work as a team and not as two separate people. Spouses should respect each other's decisions. If one spouse doesn't feel good about something, then the other should understand their feelings and respect them, even if you don't feel the same way. I know that that is a fault that I have, and I would really like to work on it. 

The last thing I remember is that someone spoke about being a parent to teenage children. I know I'm not there quite yet, but he touched a lot on being a good example in the home, and that everything starts in the home. He talked about parents being a unit and how that shows your children the great bond you have with each other and with the Lord. The speaker also said, "Never be afraid to stand up to your children if you are concerned for their spiritual well being." While I'm not worried about my spiritual well being, I remember my mom had these concerns when I was younger, and she was never afraid to let me know, and I am so thankful that there was someone there who cared about my spiritual well being, because if there hadn't been, I don't think I would be where I am today. I am really glad that, this conference, I was able to come away with my heart full. I hope that I will be able to start doing the things that I want to make a habit in my home. I know that if we pray, study the scriptures and spend more time together as a family, that the spirit will be present more often in our home.

In other news, I canned 30 quarts of apple pie filling on Saturday. It took me ALL day, but I feel so accomplished and I am very happy about it. I will post pictures soon.