I love technology. (Cue Kip singing from Napoleon Dynamite.) I really do. iPods are probably one of my favorite inventions because I can bring my music library with me wherever I go, and that's a big deal to me. I love listening to music throughout the day, especially while driving. But yesterday, as a 4.5 hour drive loomed ahead of me, (which ended up being more like 6 hours due to traffic. Grrr.) my soul craved something a little different than music. I wanted to listen to General Conference. And so I did. October 2009 General Conference, to be exact. And whenever the MoTab would start singing, I would sing along too. They sang one of my favorite songs (and one of my favorite versions of the song) as I was listening yesterday- Come, Come Ye Saints. I couldn't finish the song, however, because I had tears streaming down my cheeks and my throat was constricting as I attempted to thwart the sobbing I knew would ensue. (Even alone, I try not to look and sound like an idiot while crying. The song, "You're So Vain" suddenly comes to mind.) The part that got me sobbing like a 2 year old was, "And should we die before our journey's through, happy day, all is well. We then are free from toil and sorrow too. With the just, we shall dwell. But, if our lives are spared again, to see the saints their rest obtain, oh how we'll make this chorus swell, All is Well, All is Well." The choir sang this song right after President Uchtdorf had given his talk on love. The whole message of his address was telling the saints that we should be known for our love toward others. I loved that talk. It seriously brought some things into perspective for me. When I was at BYU-Idaho, I had the opportunity to really learn about service. It was there that I gained a testimony of service. It seemed as though I was surrounded by opportunities to love and help others. I look at my life right now and realize, I am seriously lacking in the charity department. I am way to focused on me and my life. I need to stretch myself. I need to see that there are still opportunities to serve out there, but they may not be so readily available as they were while I was in college. So that line, "to see the saints, their rest obtain" hit me with extra force yesterday as I realized, "who have I given rest to lately? Who have I helped and made their life easier? Have I done any good in the world today?" I felt like a serious slacker. And then, I checked my mail last night, where a thank you note appeared from my dear sister in law, Hillary. I then realized, ok, I'm not a horrible person. I do think of others sometimes. Just not frequently enough. As Glenn Beck challenged us, develop faith, hope and charity, I kind of forgot about that last one. I focused on Faith and Hope. But, starting today, charity is going to become a daily part of my life again.
Rebekah at the Well. The picture that hung in my bedroom as a teenager and inspired me to serve.
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