Warm Blankets, Warm Hearts

First of all, I need to apologize for not getting this up here sooner. This is our bed. We really love this comforter because of all it represents. The fabric came from my Aunt Betty, who loved to sew and create. Mom, on going through her fabrics when Betty passed away, thought of me immediately when she saw all this ORANGE fabric. (Mom knows me well; I do love orange.) Then, Caroline got everything ready so that family could quilt it together by hand up at our family reunion. It started as a project the women were doing at my bridal shower, then just became a family project. Personally, I loved that I even saw Dad and Ad take a turn sewing away. It sure was fun to spend some of those late hours sewing with my dear Mom, sisters, cousins, and aunts. Then, by the time we returned from our honeymoon up to Yellowstone, Caroline had it all bound up and ready. We really do love it and appreciate all the hard work that so many put into making it for us. It stands as a reminder of the love of family, unity, and hard work. Thank you!!

Another thing that has warmed us recently is General Conference. We thought it was interesting to hear some topics repeated. We felt like a lot touched on following the prophet, and recognizing that he is the mouthpiece of God. Scripture from D&C 1 and Amos were shared several times. This strikes me as interesting as we see more and more that people do want to determine truth by voting, like that story of the children who decided to vote if the kitty was a boy or a girl kitty. That idea really struck me this morning as I saw something on the news at work. With some people upset by Pres Packer's statements on the sanctity of marriage between man and woman and homosexuality, the news station asked viewers to contact them for a poll. Viewers were asked to vote on whether or not they agreed with Pres Packer's statements. I think some of his words express how I feel, "we will not change our moral standards. We quickly lose our way when we disobey the laws of God. If we do not protect and foster the family, civilization and our liberties must needs perish." Truth is not determined by ballot, and I'm grateful the Lord is so constant.
I also loved Elder Holland's remarks thanking us, testifying of the worth and need for each one of us. It reminded me of my mission president, whose favorite word (in any language) is "gratitude". I love how often I heard testimony of God's love for us, His children. While we're grateful for the heart-warming experience of conference, we also recognize that it is most important that we find how to apply these teachings in our lives.