The Sabbath

Today was stake conference. I'm guessing most people who check out my blog know what that is, but just in case; It's a big church meeting, bigger than normal... by a lot.

This morning as I woke up and looked in the mirror I thought to myself.. "Yep, you're scruffy... hmmm, do I really NEEEED to shave...??" Well I decided the answer was yes and cleaned up.

Next as I was getting dressed, the white dress shirt that I like wasn't the white dress shirt that was clean, so I had another moment of decision making... "Do I wear the white shirt with the collar that is tighter than I like and whose sleeves are somehow shorter than they used to be, ooooor do I wear a colored shirt, light blue isn't THAT different than white?" I decided a number of years ago that if I ever expected the young men to dress properly and wear white shirts while they fulfill their calling, it was kind of 2-faced to come to church wearing anything else, I'm not exactly invisible, why should I be any different.... So I decided to stick with the less comfortable white.

Then; "Should I wear my pretty new black suit that I got on an awesome cheap clearance months ago, but hadn't worn yet.. even though it was blazingly hot out... or some more comfortable khaki's, it's not like I was giving a talk..." but the suit won.

I think I had heard a rumor that the conference would be held at a couple of buildings, the main meeting being broadcast to the other... I was unsure which building I was supposed to go to, but I decided to head for the new stake center...

As we drove up to the stake center there wasn't any parking, so I dropped Kristen, Greydon, and my cousin Michael, who is starting at LDS Business college next week, off at the doors to the church and drove off to park along the road next to a field.

As I meandered back to the church doors I checked the time, the meeting should be starting right.... NOW.

No problem, I was almost to the doors, and we could always find some room in the back...pretty typical timing. Now, I had to decide if I should undo the top button on the neck of the tight collar on my less than favorite white shirt that was growing less and less comfortable and pretend like the tie covered the slacker look... it was hot, but I decided to at least start the meeting off looking put together... we'd see where it went later.

When I came in the building Michael came around the corner looking for me in the hall.. "There's nowhere to sit, and did you just hear them announce that you are conducting the music?"

Huh

Interesting

Chuckle.

Now that you mention it... there was that phone call a couple or three weeks ago... huh, forgot that they asked me that..

So I walk down the hall, past the gymnasium packed to over capacity, up the aisle of the attached chapel with wall to wall members, straight up to the stand like I knew what I was doing, acting all calm, stepped right up to a music stand that was covered in violin music for a musical number later, picked up a hymnal, had someone tell me the right page number, positioned the stand up a little right as the organ started and conducted Hymn #85, "How Firm a Foundation", with vigor, without batting an eye... Nothing like faking competence and pre-planning in front of 800 people...

There was a children's choir, so I didn't have anything else to conduct for an hour, so I walked right back off the stand and went in search of Kristen and the boys. They had found refuge in the primary room with a large quantity of members from the deaf branch.. It was fun watching the televised sign language interpretation of the conference. I have always loved the two-thumb dunking sign for baptism.

Later I got to conduct "Families Can Be Together Forever". It's a beautiful hymn, with a beautiful message, that had been part of the topic of the entire conference. To stand and conduct 800 voices singing such a sweet peaceful piece was stunning and wonderful. The fermata was held out, the singing was strong, the spirit was present.

I was thankful that I was standing there a shaved man, in a nice suit, wearing a white shirt, with the collar buttoned, in the right building.. it was a great meeting.

I keep deleting and typing this next paragraph... I'll just have to leave it that that wasn't the end to the day, or the spirit that day.

It was a great Sunday.