Ten Things of Thankful: October General Conference

The congregation on both sides of the aisle leading to the Conference Center platform. source

Those of you who have followed my blog for a while know that I look forward to every April and October, when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds its General Conference. While I am thankful about many things from this past week (more time spent with my oldest daughter, a beach day with my grandchildren, etc.), I thought for this Ten Things of Thankful post, I'd share 10 quotes that stood out to me in General Conference.

1. "Divine love never runs dry, and we are each a cherished favourite. God's love is where, as circles on a Venn diagram, we all overlap. Whichever parts of us seem different, His love is where we find togetherness." --Elder Karl D. Hirst

2. "Whenever we seek to bless the lives of others, the Lord takes mercy upon us even more; He strengthens us and helps us in our lives." --Elder Gregorio E. Casillas

3. "We need to avoid contention and be peacemakers in all our communications. This does not mean to compromise our principles and priorities but to cease harshly attacking others for theirs. That is what our Perfect Role Model did in His ministry. That is the example He set for us as He invited us to follow Him." --President Dallin H. Oaks

4. "In a world filled with contention and division, where civil discourse has been replaced with judgement and scorn, and friendships are defined by -isms and -ites, I have come to know that there is a clear, simple, and divine example we can look to for unity, love, and belonging. That example is Jesus Christ. I testify that He is the great unifier." --Elder David L. Buckner

5. "All around us are opportunities to laugh, delight, see with grateful eyes. Ours is a gospel of joy and holiness in everyday life. Holiness sets things apart for sacred purpose. But holiness also invites us to infuse daily living with the sacred--to rejoice in daily bread amidst this world's thistles and thorns." --Elder Gerrit W. Gong

6. ". . . the Lord is not done with us when we make a mistake, nor does He flee when we falter. Our need for healing and help is not a burden to Him, but the very reason He came."--Sister Kristin M. Lee

7. "During His mortal mission, Jesus taught that there were two great commandments. They have been taught in this conference and will forever be taught: 'Love the Lord they God [and] love thy neighbor as thyself.' If we are to follow the Savior faithfully in these two crucial and inextricably linked rules, we ought to hold firmly to what He actually said. And what he actually said was, 'If ye love me, keep my commandments.' On that same evening, He said we were to 'love one another; as I have loved you.'" --President Jeffrey R. Holland

8. "Even the Savior took time from His ministry to be still. The scriptures are replete with examples of the Lord retreating to a solitary place--a mountain, the wilderness, a desert place, or going "a little way off" --to pray to the Father. If Jesus Christ sought quiet time to commune with God and to be strengthened by Him, it would be wise for us to do the same."--Bishop L. Todd Budge

9. "One of the most important things we can learn in this life is the difference between what is eternal and what is not. Once we understand that, everything changes--our relationships, the choices we make, the way we treat people." --Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

10. "I have learned that the most crucial question we each must answer is this: To whom or to what will I give my life?"--President Russell M. Nelson (who celebrated his 100th birthday in September, by the way)

Did any of those stand out to you? What are you thankful for this week? Be sure to visit the other blogs participating in the TToT, and feel free to link up your own blog post!