Special Young Women's Fireside with Sis. Cordon

We heard a few weeks ago that Sis. Bonnie H. Cordon, Young Women General President for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints would be doing a fireside for the YW, their mothers and leaders, for our stake.  Whoa.  Cat and I were excited about attending and ended up sitting in the very front of the audience with some friends from our ward.  I kept thinking, "Living in Utah has its benefits..."

Cat and I both enjoyed the fireside very much.  A few things that stood out to me:

• Though there is a veil of forgetfulness that prevents us having a perfect memory of what life was like, and how much we understood, before we came to Earth, Heavenly Father has provided opportunities to help us remember, and the words of our Prophet and other leaders are at the top of the list!  (See this talk or this one.)
• Wherever you go, at school or YW or soccer practice or just at home, remember that you're there to bless, not impress.
• We wached a video of Ester Ledecka, an Olympic snowboarder who also competed dead last in the downhill skiing competition, on borrowed skis, when the presumptive medalists were already celebrating, and won gold.  Her shock at winning (see it at about 1:45) is probably comparable to the shock we'll feel when we realize the incredible blessings that await us if we'll just do our best to serve God in this life.
• Follow these guidelines when on social media: (1) Decide ahead of time how much time you'll spend and be strict with yourself.  (2) Stick to your purpose.  (3) Always be sure that you can feel the Spirit.
• When you're struggling, find something you can do to serve someone else.

At the close of her remarks, Sis. Cordon played this video, and though I'd bet everyone in that room had seen the video and/or heard the song at least once before, it took on new significance after being so spiritually fed during the fireside.  The power of music!

And then, in what I'm embarrassed to admit I thought was a bit of a presumptive act, our Stake President stood to add his own thoughts.  I wondered what he could possibly add to make the meeting any more worthwhile, but his short talk was very appropriate, especially for the YW the evening was focused on.  He shared these verses from Galatians 5, helping everyone understand that if they identified with any of the feelings listed, they were feeling the Spirit.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

It just kept building.  Between Sis. Cordon's talk, listening to "Glorious," and then the Stake President's talk, I felt very much spiritually filled.  To me, it was a reminder of a principle Elder Richard G. Scott taught in the October 2009 General Conference titled "To Acquire Spiritual Guidance:" when you're you're having a spiritual, revelatory experience, ask God if there's more you should know, then listen.  Even though you might think you've learned what you need to learn, it's possible that there's more to come if you'll ask and wait.

It was a wonderful evening and I'm so glad I was able to enjoy it with Cat!

P.S. Sis. Cordon also shared this video, which we all thoroughly enjoyed, and I'm sure has some great gospel applications, but I don't remember exactly how it tied in.  Comment with your thoughts.  :-)