What a day yesterday! The house was full and it was great. I really appreciate everyone's effort to be here and to be together. It was a lot of fun. I really appreciate those who worked so hard in the kitchen to put food on the table. It was all delicious! My diet was totally ruined and it'll sure be hard to go back to counting points tomorrow. Good thing there is lots of good food in the fridge and others ate so many cookies. :-)

I am so grateful for all of you and the good lives that you live. May the Lord bless you with peace and happiness in all of your difficult trials. Love ya all!

Sisters, such a lovely relationship. Through the years I have found that the most important thing I can do is to forgive them and say I'm sorry when things get too contentious. Honestly, I had the most lovely time going to Aunt Jean's funeral. Helped keep Mom and Dad from straying too far from the crowd and enjoyed a lovely visit with my sister.

When I left for home, it was time to come home. We Clarkes simply don't always think about how offensive what we say is so it was time to come home.

As for my brothers, the spoiled one was simply rude.

Aunt Jean was the oldest living daughter and was 12 when Mom and Aunt Erna were born. She took care of them and all the younger children. Mom said when she started working outside the home she always provided Christmas for them. Mom never forgot Aunt Jeans care. And that's what she continued to do all of her life. She cared for people and fed them. She was always kind to us and always was hospitable. It was important for Mom to honor her sister by going to the funeral so we did.

As we sat there it was clear to see that she was loved by her posterity and will be missed greatly.

So this week I bought new copies of the conference issue (cause I lost ours) and began reading again. This time I got out my note book and began taking notes of each talk. Sister Herbert shared how she studied the talks and I thought what a good idea. She studies them like scripture(which they are) and looked up the notes at the end.

Elder Bednar's talk on RECEIVE THE HOLY GHOST was really insightful. My understanding of this gift increased. I broke it down into a few notes but the one I want to record here is found in Moroni 8:26. This is the process whereby we get in tune with the spirit. First repentance brings meekness and lowliness of heart, then cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost which comforter filleth with hope and perfect love.

Once we feel this love we are faced with the challenge of keeping it. This happens through diligence in prayer until the end. We must pray always. We must keep the Lord in remembrance always.

Next, how do we receive the Holy Ghost?

1. sincerely desire the companionship of the Holy Ghost

2. Appropriately invite the Holy Ghost into our lives.

a. prayer of faith. D&C 42:14

b. making and keeping covenants

c. searching the scriptures diligently

d. strengthening appropriate relationships with family and friends

e. seeking after virtuous thoughts, actions, and language

f. worshipping in our homes, temples, at church

3. Faithfully obey

. . . .everything the Savior's gospel teaches us to do and become is to bless us with the companionship of the Holy Ghost.

...We primarily gather together in unity to seek the blessings of and instruction from the Holy Ghost.

4. Testimony

. . . .keep hearts open to conviction so that when the Holy Ghost comes to them, their hearts will be ready to receive it.

We have a great gift given to us at baptism. Let us work hard to be in tune with the Holy Ghost so that our lives will be guided in wisdom and truth. So important.

Today in SS we looked at Ezekiel 47:1-12 which I was always taught was about the literal healing of the dead sea. Today it was taught as a parable as how going to the temple increases our understanding and spiritual strength each time we go. Lee thinks both interpretations are good. It was cross referenced to Revelations 22:2 which talked about a river of pure living water flowing through a river lined with 12 trees whose leaves would heal the nations. The symbolism there is pretty obvious. Twelve being the twelve tribes of Israel taking the gospel to the world the thousand years when Christ will reign here upon the earth. I'm sure it's deeper and richer than I am explaining it but I found it very exciting seeing something new in these verses.

What struck me was just how important it is to go as often as possible. There is real strength there and we are made stronger for going. It helps bring peace to our hearts in these times we are living through.

OUR VERY SURVIVAL

When I had my first child I was scared to death cause I hadn't a clue on how to raise him. I began listening very carefully to what was said in General Conference and glean advice on raising children. Elder Kevin R. Duncan gave a talk on having the wisdom to trust in and follow the counsel of the living prophets and apostles. We can't do that unless we know what they are saying.

Times are a changing and the Lord has provided so many resources to help us come through them clean and worthy to return and live with Him as eternal families. Elder Duncan said, "Trusting in and following the prophets is more than a blessing and a privilege. President Ezra Taft Benson declared that 'our very salvation hangs on following the prophet."

What I know after all these years is we really are blessed to have true and living prophets guiding us today and their messages are so important for us to study and read and implement in our lives.

CHOOSE FAITH OVER DOUBT

Every morning while exercising I'm able to read more conference talks. Bishop Edgley spoke about Faith-the choice Is Yours. "Choose faith over doubt, choose faith over fear, choose faith over the unknown and the unseen, and choose faith over pessimism."

I know that making the choice to have faith in Jesus Christ and His love for us and care for our daily lives brings peace. I know He is watching over us and just waiting to bless us. Yes, life throws curve balls at us but just knowing and choosing to believe that it will all work out brings peace and I prefer peace.

Okay, this morning I read three talks from general conference while hiking on the treadmill, and I mean hiking. I always get a better heart rate when I increase the incline and I feel much better at the end then when I start.

The first talk was byElder Claudio R. M. Costa who quoted from Pres. Benson's talk on living prophets, the first of two to do so. I so agree with him on how important it is to be obedient to the counsel of our living prophets.

The second one was by David M. McConkie on Gospel Learning and Teaching. Three principals for better teaching: 1. Immerse yourself in the scriptures, 2. Apply in your life the things that you learn, 3. Seek heaven's help.

I want to share with you what happened to me this last lesson I gave in RS. I had been listening and reading this talk by Elder Uchtdorf since April conference and it thrilled me every time I did so. But what to do with it I did not know for sure. I underlined a few quotes and thought I'll just see where this goes.

The Saturday before a group of sisters went to the temple early in the morning and invited me to go with them. While sitting in the chapel I was reading in Isaiah 50:4 which lead me to Luke 21:14-15 which reads, "Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist." For me that jumped out and reassured me that I would know what to say and what stories to tell in the moment I needed to know. So the next day I waited to hear what the spirit wanted said and tried very hard to follow and I think what needed to be said to encourage the sisters to share what they knew was said.

I actually read four talks but I think I've written enough this morning. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is truly the restored Church of Jesus Christ who leads it through living prophets. I know President Monson is a true prophet of God and I know the brethren who serve with him in the first presidency and quorum of the Twelve are true prophets, seers, and revelators.