Its all in the perspective

This week-end was our stake conference. This was our first time at the stake center here. I thought it was a beautiful building. I was also impressed with the child size restroom off of the nursery. The mother's room left a little to be desired though. There were even people sitting on the floor. But, I haven't been impressed with the size of a mother's lounge since I left the Westlake Ward. We went out to eat with some friends after the adult session which was fun. Elder Condie attended our conference. He was a riveting speaker. I had trouble staying awake during the first hour of the adult session. When he started to speak, he captured my attention and I was actually surprised and disappointed when the second hour was over. He has a sense of humor that reminds me of President Hinckley and does a pretty good impression of our late prophet too!

During his talk Saturday, he told a series of stories. The first story was about a family who tried their best to have FHE, family prayer, and scripture study. When their oldest son was 12 he was tricked by a "friend" and ended up addicted to a pill, which led to an alcohol and drug addiction. For more than 4 years this son brought a bad spirit into the home and stole money to support his habit from his siblings and parents. One day he didn't come home from school. The parents wondered where he was but he never returned. Eventually the family went about their lives enjoying the Spirit now able to abide in their home but missing the family member now gone. They continued to wonder whether their son was alive, where he was, and what he was up to. To sum up the story, when he was 30 years old, he returned home and asked to be forgiven. His parents put him in rehab and he eventually turned his life around and went through the temple.

I sat in my seat asking Heavenly Father to please help me raise my children so that I never had to experience the grief I'm sure this mother felt for 13 years. I can't imagine not knowing where your child was all that time. I asked that if my children were to fall away and disappear that they would at least not take 13 years to change their life around and come home.

Then Elder Condie then continued to the second story. This story was about a little girl with a paper route. She went out one evening to collect money for her route. This usually took her a little over an hour. When she didn't return home by 8pm her parents were worried. By nine they started calling friends and neighbors. By eleven the police were notified. The community searched for her the following day. After about 5 days, the detectives knocked on the parents' door. The little girl had been found, but was not alive. A neighbor had asked her to come inside while he got change for his bill. He then locked the door, molested her, killed her, and dumped her remains in a local resevoir.

All of a sudden the first story did seem so bad. I found myself pleading that if one of these situations were to happen to one of my children that it would PLEASE PLEASE be the first story. A drug addiction and 13 years of absence didn't seem to be the worst possibility anymore. I guess I learned that whatever trials we may be experiencing, however awful and impossible to overcome they may seem, it could always be worse.