General Women's Meeting

I've been wanting to take Cat to a session of General Conference since she turned 8 last summer.  We had the chance to attend during the Spring Conference, and imagine our delight when the Bishop offered us tickets to the first ever General Women's Session.  Yeah!!  We were so excited.

Our Bishop actually gave us 3 tickets, so we invited my Aunt Jeanne to join us.  We even made a girls' night of it, with dinner at "a fancy pizza restaurant" (Cat's words) in a strip mall near my aunt's house.

There was an amazing spirit there, even before we entered the building.  I could really feel the historical significance of what we were participating in, and it was exhilarating to be a part of it.

 

I also felt so privileged to experience this special occasion with Cat.  She was a great companion, and kept up with Jeanne and me very well, though she admitted later that she was a bit scared by all of the people.

We sat on the lowest level of the Conference Center, just about 12 rows from the very front!  We had a great view.

Below is a picture of Cat with the First Presidency.  :-)  When Pres. Monson walked in, Cat and I were just coming back into the auditorium from the bathroom, so we hurried to where we could see, and I lifted Cat up so that she could see over the heads of the others standing up.  That was the moment I felt the Spirit the strongest.  I was almost in tears.  What a blessing to have a Prophet of God, and to be in his presence!

We were so close to the front that there were cameras all around us, but we never noticed anyone filming us.  Imagine our surprise when we turned the broadcast on the next day to share some highlights with the rest of the family, and Cat spotted us.  Can you find us??  We're famous!

Here's a closer look:

My favorite moment of the session was when the girls stood up to sing the first verse of "Teach Me to Walk in the Light" and then the adults joined in on the second verse.  That was so touching.  (And I appreciated the way that they added videos and kept the talks relatively short in order to help the younger girls in attendance from getting too bored.)

The temple and "popcorn popping on the apricot tree" as we walked to the car.

I am very thankful for the opportunity to attend the Women's Meeting with Cat.  It was so special - an experience I'll always remember, and I hope the same is true for Cat.