There God is also.

My Mama & me in 2005

Ages and ages ago, General Conference was one of my young life's most trying periods. It meant staying inside for hours on Saturday to listen to scratchy old men voices coming from the radio {yes, the radio} and going to the church on Sunday to watch it broadcasted for what seemed to be eternities.

When I was in high school, my parents would take me to Salt Lake to watch a session live, and no matter how exciting it was to be in Salt Lake surrounded by tons of young and attractive priesthood holders {yippee!} and see the prophet in person {from a mile away}, I was usually more excited at the prospect of buying my Homecoming dress than anything else. Shameful. 

Now that I fully understand the purpose and my own personal need of counsel from the lips of the Lord's prophet and apostles, General Conference is one of my life's greatest blessings. This weekend like many others has afforded me many answers to some of my most personal and sincere prayers.

As Nettie and I made excellent haste {which is other story for another day} to the conference center this afternoon for the last session of conference, I saw one man standing among the protesters {many of whom were yelling at us that we were going to Hell [where I am sure I will be among friends if that is indeed the case]} holding a small paper with words quickly scribbled on it which read: Where is God? I could easily ignore all the screaming banners of others which proclaimed Joseph Smith to be a liar, Mormons and Jews {I am sure there were none there to protest} as heathen devils, and God as a personage of purely spiritual substance, but I couldn't ignore this one man's small, insignificant sign.

Then I asked myself, "Where is God?" If he was asking me to specify the geographical region of God's dwelling, I could not tell him {Kolob?}, and the rest of the conference I pondered where I considered God to be. Then a song which the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang during this morning's session came to mind: "Where love is, there God is also." Yes, that was the answer. God is love, and where his love dwells, so does His precious Spirit. I know that my Heavenly Father is a tangible personage, having both flesh and bones and a physical dwelling, and from wherever his throne resides he has the power to fill me with his perfect love. And that loves exists within me when I think of my dear, sweet family. My father and mother, my three brothers and five sisters, my three brothers-in-law and two sisters-in-law, and in my eleven nephews {and one on the way!} and five nieces. The whole mess of them. I love them all. And because of the perfect love of God, we can be together throughout the eternities. And that is where God is.

Where love is, there God is also.

Where love is, we want to be. 

Guide us, his truths to follow;

Help us obey him faithfully. 

Where love is, there God is also.

We think of him rev'rently. 

Teach us to pray, to talk with him above

And know that he will guide us with his love.

The comfort of loving arms around us, 

A song that makes us want to sing, 

The happiness we feel when love has found us, 

'Tis love we get when love we bring. 

Where love is, there God is also. 

And with him we want to be. 

Show us the way and guide us tenderly

That we may dwell with him eternally.