October GC - Part I

General Conference has been great so far!

The announcement by Pres. Monson that we are building a temple in Rome was both funny and inspiring. I love that there was a pregnant pause after he announced Rome as the final new temple site, ensuring that there would be knowing laughter from the audience.

It's hard to pick a talk that I consider to be my favorite, but the ones by Elders Perry, Christofferson, and Bednar were the most inspiring. Last night, at Debbie's mission reunion, Pres. Hansen told us to not take notes during GC so much of everything that is said, but rather the things that we are counseled to do, so that our notes become something like a "To Do" list for the next 6 months. It has made GC even more meaningful because I'm constantly trying to pick out things that I can do instead of trying to jot down everything, or to jot down only things that I learn that's new.

For example, I'll share one thing I have made a goal to do in the coming months. For much of his message, Elder L. Tom Perry relied upon Henry David Thoreau's "simplicity" philosophy. It reminded me of this quote from Thoreau's Walden: "Our life is frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify, simplify." My life has become increasingly busy, and it's a good reminder to keep things in perspective. Last night, the mission president before Pres. Hansen (Pres. Slater) told us that we only take a few things with us into the next world, including our relationships, covenants, and memories. I want to simplify my life so that relationships, memories, and covenants become my focus.

It's been an awesome GC - I'm excited for Priesthood Session now.