Our October Quotes

We finally did it.  We sat down for FHE last night and just when we were about to start working our out "thankful turkeys"  my husband reminded me that I wanted everyone's quotes from general conference.  Well this led to a bit of panic because the little ones had already turned theirs into me weeks ago.  Trouble was,  they were on little scraps of paper.  This discussion brought up all the other missing pieces of paper like Jordyns homework instructions.....It was at this point that Jared decided that if I had a super villain name it would be "the little engine that could throw everything away."  I can only handle the clutter for so long until I just start chucking everything into the trash....apparently important things.....like a couple of bills that were hidden in a stack of papers that I had shoved into a corner.  This night wasn't going very well for me!

Luckily, quotes were found and re-looked up.  We'll start youngest to oldest.  Drum roll please......

Jordyn gave me the quote "never doubt God's prophets" by Neil L Anderson.  I like to give full quotes so here it is:

"You may understandably question what you hear on the news, but you need never doubt the testimony of God's prophets"

Ethan gave me "adjust your mask before helping others" then clarified by saying "you know, meaning spiritual mask.  This quote is also by Neil L Anderson.  The full quote:

"Now is the time to adjust your own spiritual oxygen mask so that you are prepared to help others who are seeking truth"

Jared didn't take a single note this year.  When asked for a quote her tried to give me Dr Seuss and someone else.  We had a stand off and he said "I don't really care."  Great.  That's your quote.  Well, he didn't like that and said it would bring shame to the family and himself if I put that on the wall.  Really?  That's a good sign.  He decided to look through the church news that did recaps of all the talks.  He chose this one by President Thomas S Monson:

"To sail the seas of mortality we need the guidance of the mariner -even the great Jehovah"

Emma had a hard time choosing between 3 quotes.  Can you say "between" when it's more than 2?  After realizing that one of them was the one Ethan chose and she already used one of them for seminary, she went with the one that was left, but then I let her have 2.  She gave me "your testimony doesn't have to be this tall to enter" and "the process of receiving light is the quest of a lifetime."  Full quotes are:

"I know of no sign on the doors of our meetinghouses that says, 'your testimony must be this tall to enter'"

"The process of gathering spiritual light is the quest of a lifetime"

I chose a quote after changing my mind several times.  The reason I picked the one I did was because it was the 2nd talk of conference and it made me say "boom baby!"  It's exactly what we are going to need to make it through the times ahead.  Are we going to fear man or fear God?  It's from Lynn G Robbins

"Trying to please others before pleasing God is inverting the first and second great commandments"

This reminded me that I forgot to give the 3 stages of loosing an argument when talking with someone that likes to use "facts."  Let's remember my "factual" statement that "I have wings and can fly."  

Stage 1 of rebuttal to my facts you don't find as fact - "you are just an ill informed dunderhead.  I'm sorry you're too stupid to figure it out and so easy to be brain washed. " 

Stage 2 - when you realize that I may actually have some brain cells you then move into the "well you're just a winged human denier."  

Stage 3- when you've got nowhere left to run (or just want to save time- skip everything else and lead with it) pull out the trusty argument to shut down all arguments.  "well, you are just a racist hater or religious oppressor of the winged humans who is selfish and wants to destroy all of humanity and the earth because of your superiority complex."   

This was a purposeful silly argument, but then I find most arguments that we are having today completely bizarre and surreal - void of common sense and principles.  Yep this is totally why I chose the quote I did.  We are going to need some serious courage and we are going to have to decide once and for all "which way do you face?"  Are you gonna let people shut you down and shame you into not making a stand or are you going to stand?  Are you going to believe that you are a dunderhead hateful oppressor?  Are you going to worry about what people think or what God thinks?  

Nate chose a quote by Dallin H Oaks:

"The gospel of Jesus Christ and the covenants we have made inevitably cast us as combatants in the eternal contest between truth and error.  There is no middle ground in that contest."

I love how the quote he chose goes so perfectly with mine.  We must be thinking on the same wavelength.