CHANGE

Oh how I love General Conference. Especially October Conference...the chill in the air, the smell of my Spiced Pumpkin candle, cute friends who surprised us with delicious pecan cinnamon rolls. So great. I usually like to do a rundown of my favorite talks and mention briefly my thoughts from each one. However, this time around there was one talk that really struck a chord with me. Don't get me wrong. I can't wait to drink many great words of wisdom, encouragement and motivation again from that November Ensign, but for now, I want to focus on one in particular: President, Thomas S. Monson's talk on Change. The main message of this talk, to me, was about living in the moment and accepting change. There have been a lot of things going on lately that have made me think about this. This is a concept I understand and that I strive for, but have a hard time living. A very 'easier said, than done' thing for me. I feel like the majority of my life, I've lived for the next moment. And although I think that's more understandable while growing up, I feel that the regret you'll feel for not living in the moment, grows exponentially as you enter the adult phases of life, such as marriage and parenthood, just like how your joy grows exponentially in those phases for choosing to "find the joy in the journey, now." I also have a hard time with change. I'm a planner and I'm a worrier and those two things don't mix well with change, let alone with unexpected change. I think the reason this talk resonated with me so much is because it offered me the perspective of the effects living this principal can have. Not only will my regret go down and my joy increase, but I will be more able to accept unexpected change when the occasion calls for it, and that's a great comfort to me. I also loved how President Monson pointed out that living now goes "hand in hand with gratitude". How can you not be grateful for your blessings when you are taking the time to embrace and live each one? All of the pettiness, envy, grudge holding goes away because you no longer have the space for it. I think the Savior was really good at living in the moment. He got what life was all about. I think when you figure that out, you know you only have time to love. President Monson also focuses about how it's our choice: "It's our conscious choice what secret garden we will tend...Not to focus on what is missing but are grateful for the abundance that is present: love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us happiness...the waste land of the illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth."