General Conference is a wonderful time of year. Living in UT, we get to sit at home in our pajamas and watch conference on TV. Since I have very young children at home, this can be challenging to do. I get bits and pieces of the talks, and always vow that I will re-read them, and really ponder them during a quiet moment. Usually, I don’t get that quiet moment, or do not really think about it again. But, this time, I want to re-visit these talks and blog about some that I felt were particularly poignant to me personally in my stage of life right now.
Of the ones I did hear the first time around, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s was my favorite. Every since he was called to be a general authority, I have loved hearing him speak. He has a way of saying exactly what I always need to hear. This time it was no different! His talk, “Of Things That Matter Most” really hit home with me.
I am a busy stay at home Mom to two kids. My life is consumed with cleaning, running errands, going to the gym, blogging, scrapbooking, maintaining friendships, etc. Often, I find that during the day, I did not really get to sit down and spend quality time with my children. This is the thing that is the most frustrating to me about being a Mom. I feel constantly torn between my worldly responsibilities, and with being a Mom that is present, and fun, and a good teacher.
President Uchtdorf said, “If life and its rushed pace and many stresses have made it difficult for you to feel like rejoicing, then perhaps now is a good time to refocus on what matters most.” This is something I needed to hear. He talks about how easy it is to be busy, and how we can always think of a million things that we need to be doing. I have a hard time sitting still. I want to be on the go, and sometimes, I neglect my most important responsibility which is to be a Mother, a teacher, and a friend to my children. Luckily, they are young enough, that I have time to change that. I have time to work everyday at simplifying my life so that I can find the joy in it again.
He quoted Leonardo DaVinci by saying, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”. Think about that for a moment. Are we more sophisticated if we do not clutter up our lives with the non-essential? I would agree. After all, he is an apostle of the Lord! I also loved it when he said, “we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most.”
But, how do we simplify? How do we know what is MOST important? He stated, “As we turn to our Heavenly Father and seek His wisdom regarding the things that matter most, we learn over and over again the importance of four key relationships: with our God, with our families, with our fellowman, and with ourselves.”
That will be my focus right now. To focus on those relationships that matter most. To try to de-clutter my mind, my life, and my spirit. It is easy to be “plugged in” by all the technology we have today, but it is not as easy to be truly connected. If we truly connect with our Heavenly Father, our family, our friends and neighbors, and ourselves, then I think life will automatically simplify. And then, we can call ourselves sophisticated.
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