"Nearly a year later, I still remember how the prompting had come to me suddenly—like a flash of lightning on a clear day. Just as quickly as it came, however, it was followed up with another impression. 'This is because of general conference.' The additional phrase was equally startling to me."
The circumstances leading up to general conference last spring were no different for me than the session six months prior to that, except that I found myself in a new leadership position in my ward. As I prepared to participate in conference, there were a couple of specific questions surrounding my new calling that lead me to seek answers from the Lord during that special time of instruction, which, as has been promised by our leaders, were revealed to me by the time conference was over.
One morning, a few days after the conclusion of conference--and another wonderful weekend of "manna from heaven" (John 6:35), I was reflecting on some of the messages that were shared. I don't even recall which talks I was contemplating at the time, and I had yet to reread any of the messages at that point. I was simply letting the affect of that spiritually-charged weekend wash over me. What I do remember, though, is how unexpectedly unsettled I felt about a previous decision my husband and I determined conclusively.
Our four-year-old son, JJ, would be turning five a few months later in August, just days before school would begin. His birthday would qualify him to start kindergarten. At the time he was born, however, we had mostly decided, due to JJ's gender and late summer birthday, that delaying kindergarten that first year would be in his (and the school's) best interest. When JJ turned 18 months old, he was identified as having speech issues. For the next three years and in two different states, JJ labored hard to master the speech skills that he lacked. Even though he had made great strides, this developmental set back sealed the deal for me and my husband. In March of last year, with kindergarten registration on the horizon, we were adamant about not sending JJ to school less than two weeks after he turned five. My training and experience as an elementary school teacher was a second witness to our decision. It was a no-brainer, and we felt good about it.
Until I didn't—just a few days after general conference last April.