Forget-me-nots

I loved the Relief Society Broadcast last night. I wanted to put down some of my notes so that I don't have to keep track of this notebook that I stumbled on as I was walking out the door.  Or the piece of paper.  Seems to be a bad way for me to keep things.  This is a good way :)  So here it is:
Sister Julie B. Beck spoke first, she is the RS General President.  She said:
- The RS was organized under the authority and after the pattern of the Priesthood.
- It is a vital part of recieving temple blessings
*One thing that hit me during her talk, as she was talking about the problems that a lot of the Sisters might be facing right now, is that I have very little problems right now.  My life is relatively conflict-free.  And I wanted to remind myself to be happy and grateful for that, and not let this time of my life get by without noticing that and letting it bring me closer to my Heavenly Father rather than waiting til something bad happens.
- Visiting teaching is an expression of discipleship.  *I liked this because I hate that there are so many people out there that feel like they don't need to be visited.  They feel like a project and don't enjoy the visit for what it is.  It really is good for both parties!  And to deprive someone of that "expression of discipleship" seems kind of silly. 
- The depth of our charity is more important than the statistics.  *I think this was in reference to Visiting Teaching as well.  I liked that.

Sister Silvia H. Allred was next.  I love her accent even though it makes it harder for me to understand.  I think I pay attention a little better.  She said a lot about Charity.  Which I loved.  She said:
- Charity is a state of being or a state of the heart.  Not just something you do or give.
- It purifies those who have it.  *this is like a lot of the virtues.... when we are possessed of them, they make us stronger and our faith grows stronger because of them, and then that faith helps us to follow them and desire to possess them more.... love that.
- We should desire and pray for charity.
- "Charity is having patience with someone who has let us down."  *Very useful.

Sister Barbara Thompson was next.  She said a lot of things that touched me very deeply.  I don't think I will share those here.  Probably in my journal.  I don't think it was specifically things that she said, but more what I felt during her talk.  The Spirit was very strong.  I will cherish the experience I had.

Then President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the First Presidency spoke.  His talk was just awesome.  Here are the things I wrote down:
His talk was based on the Forget-me-not flower.  With the five petals that inspired him to give us 5 things to forget-not. 
1. Forget not to be patient with yourself.  He said that sometimes we are more patient with those around us than we are with ourselves.  Then he said that Heavenly Father is fully aware that we are not perfect and that the people around us are not perfect despite what we may think.  We need to be aware of our successes.  Heavenly Father noticies them. 
2. Forget not good sacrifices vs. foolish sacrifices.  He spoke of using our time more wisely.  "Am I committing my time and energies to the things that matter most?"  *This was a good reminder.  I know there are a lot of times I have to weigh things out in my mind before I decide it is worth doing.
3. Forget not to be happy now.  He talked about Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and how the world became so obsessed with finding the "Gold Ticket" they no longer enjoyed the chocolate.  He warned against being to concerned with having our gold tickets.  He said there is nothing wrong with righteous yearnings though.  We just need to make sure we enjoy the little things that happen in between.  *I have serious problems with this.  Frequently in my life in fact.  It's nice to know that it's okay to yearn for things, but just not making that my only focus.
4. Forget not the WHY of the Gospel.  Not WHAT and HOW.  The Gospel is not an obligation, it is a pathway.  We should transform the mundane into the magnificent.
5. Forget not that the Lord loves you.  *Ahhhhh.  That always feels so good coming from an apostle of the Lord.

I felt so torn about whether I should go up to the meeting with Nate's family as is the tradition or whether I should stay here and go with my ward.  It was a great time with Nate's sisters.  I love them so much.  The food was great, and the company even better.  I did feel a little bummed to find out that my stake had done a service project along with the dinner where they sewed dresses for little girls to be sent to Africa.  I had been looking forward to that project, but didn't remember that it was combined with the broadcast.  The reason I say this is because I want to remember to just invite the Maynes girls down here when we have something cool going on, so that they can all participate as well!  Would have been cool.  But oh well.  It was a very nice meeting.  I can't wait til Conference!!