This weekend marks the
180th Semi-Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. When I was a kid this weekend meant sitting in a dark chapel while we watched the speakers broadcast via satellite to us in New York. They were painfully boring weekends where we had to get dressed for church even though none of my classes were held that day in lieu of the world wide broadcast. It was dark and hard to see my crayons as I sat at my mothers feet trying to draw and keep from dying from boredom.
When I went to BYU I was faced with my first conference weekend in Utah. The internet was in its baby stages (BYU didn't even have its own e-mail accounts back then) and it never occured to me that we could watch it on TV in our own homes (or packed around the dorm room television or plugged into the local radio station). So I got dressed and walked down 9th East to the church building and sat in a dark chapel with about 3 other people.
I wondered where everyone was.
Turns out they were in packed around TVs all over campus.
I was better prepared next time.
Later as a newly married couple we were in Delaware for our first General Conference together. No TV, no radio out there and the Internet still a baby, I showed JaDee the art of getting dressed for church to sit in a dark chapel (they always listened to it on the radio in WY). Our ward did a massive potluck in between the morning and afternoon session and it was a great weekend.
Then even later still and back in UT I grew accustomed to rolling out of bed at 9:45 and wrapping up in a blanket to watch the 2 Sunday sessions in our home on local KSL channel 5. Saturday sessions were heard in the car on the way to soccer, or while I was painting a bedroom or while we cleaned out the garden and the garage. October Conference is when we always dug up the tomato plants whether they were ready or not. It was time to winterize!
Now in Alaska and the age of Dish network and the Internet, we can still get conference in our home. Our first conference here the website was so jammed we couldn't get it but we logged on to radio KSL and listened. The last conference we had Internet connections for every session and it was just like being back in UT tucked under a blanket on my couch.
I kind of miss the old days in the dark chapel. The thought of recreating it for my kids and taking them to our own local chapel (which always broadcasts the event for anyone who cares to wander in) makes me a little ill. I mean, look how easy it is to just stay home in our jammies and unwashed hair to listen to the voice of our prophet and apostles? Why would I make more work for myself and drag them in our Sunday best to the church?
I guess I really appreciate all the hard work it was for my parents to get all 5 of us to each and every conference growing up. Little tote bags packed with crayons, snacks and paper. Countless trips to drinking fountains and bathrooms to break up the monotony for little bottoms, older siblings being separated with a parent in between, and even better when I, as the oldest, could take either Courtney or Stephen, as babies, out to the hall to walk around, get drinks and explore dark classrooms and the stage in the gym. I remember when Ben and I used to fight over the job to do that! Thank goodness there were 2 of them!
The bottom line is my parents taught me that General Conference was important. They taught me slowly and patiently that it was important. They taught it to me so that when I was on my own and faced with the choice to watch or not that I chose to go.
Now I have to figure out how to show my children that this is important for them.
Happy Conference!
PS- if you have BYU TV on your dish network plan you can watch conference at 10 AM and 2 PM Mountain Standard Time.
PPS- we always have cinnamon rolls on Sunday morning. Thanks Linda for the great recipe! It is now in our family!
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