My dear grandmother recently passed away just a few days shy of her 100th birthday. My father tells the story of speaking with her many years ago, not long after he married my mother.

As I listened to the women’s session of the October 2019 general conference, my focus was on a number of things. The talks were inspiring. I was looking forward to the additional information and changes to the Young Women program that had been promised in the previous session. My thoughts drifted from one to the other. Then my mind snapped to attention: Did Sister Aburto just say her father committed suicide? I listened intently to confirm that what I thought I heard was accurate. Indeed, it was true. Quite frankly, it was a bit of a shock. In over 40 years of general conference sessions I’d listened to, I cannot ever recall a brother or sister sharing something so intensely personal from that pulpit. I pondered, what are people going to think? Perhaps there would be some Church members that would think Sister Aburto had overshared, or that general conference might not be the best venue for such a personal experience. My thoughts were, Thank goodness; it’s about time.

Illustration by Paul Mann, retrieved from lds.org.

3 Nephi 8-11

That we believe about God and Christ—Their nature, Their attributes, Their character—shapes our response to the Heavenly Family and Their designs for us. Arguments about the cosmological location of Kolob will not advance our salvation. Ascertaining the true depth and extent of God’s love, however, will.

Former dean of Harvard Business School Elder Kim B. Clark has watched the things that make people successful and the things that are often sacrificed on that road to success.

“As I walked toward the temple, I thought, Lord, if they don’t let me in here, then I know I need to learn about this church.”

INTRODUCTION: The Savior knew that the time following his crucifixion would be difficult for his apostles. He seems to be trying to prepare them by his explanations in John 16 and by his prayer in John 17. He was about to leave the kingdom—the mortal vehicle of salvation—in the hands of these twelve men. To them would fall the responsibility of continuing the work he had begun so magnificently. On them would rest the burden of the salvation of men in every nation. From them would come the message of hope that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Knowing that he had but a few hours left, he gave final instructions and offered a final prayer for them.

In our busy lives, how do we make planning and participating in church activities a joy rather than a burden?

A single woman may mistakenly believe: