General Conference Gems - April 2012

I'm a little behind in blogging.  It seems that when you have time to blog, you don't have anything to blog about and the opposite as well.  I realize yesterday was Easter, so I should be posting pictures of those festivities. (Happy late Easter, everyone)  However, I've had a whole week to ponder General Conference and the messages shared and I wanted to follow my tradition of sharing some of my favorite quotes from conference.  I thought General Conference was spectacular this year.  The first session on Saturday morning touched me the most, meaning it made me cry the most.  Good, cleansing tears.  I'd love to hear your favorite quotes or talks that touched you!

• "If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing. In all conditions, we can choose the right with the guidance of the Spirit. We have the gospel of Jesus Christ to shape and guide our lives if we choose it."  -President Henry B. Eyring (My favorite talk)
• "Why should you be jealous because I choose to be kind?"  -Elder Jeffery R. Holland  (The talk that humbled me a bit)
• "It needs to be taught and understood that we love and respect all of the people whom Lehi described. Remember, it is not up to us to judge... President Thomas S. Monson has specifically asked us to have the 'courage to refrain from judging others.'" -Elder Quentin L. Cook (I loved his comparison of Mark Twain's remark on the Book of Mormon and the scholar in England who found the church through the same text Mark Twain made light of.)
• "Humility is a fertile soil where spirituality grows and produces the fruit of inspiration to know what to do. It gives access to divine power to accomplish what must be done." -Elder Richard G. Scott  (Whenever Elder Scott talks about his wife who has passed on, my heart melts a little.  They seem to have such a tender love story.)
• "Our degree of gratitude is a measure of our love for Him (God)." -Elder Russell M. Nelson (Very cool and insightful reminder of physical and spiritual blessings.)
• "President Joseph Fielding Smith told the sisters that they had 'been given power and authority to do a great many things.'" -Sister Julie B. Beck  (I will miss Sister Beck as the RS General President.)
• “There can be no genuine happiness separate and apart from the home. … There is no happiness without service, and there is no service greater than that which converts the home into a divine institution, and which promotes and preserves family life." -Elder M. Russell Ballard quoting President Joseph F. Smith
• “Our missionary experiences have to be current. It is not enough to sit back and ponder former experiences. To be fulfilled, you have to continue to naturally and normally share the gospel."  -Elder David F. Evans quoting President Thomas S. Monson  
• "'Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you.' We must recognize that we are all imperfect—that we are beggars before God."  -President Dieter F. Uchtdorf  (This talk was such a great reminder!)
• "If you desire to make a difference in the world, you must be different from the world. " -Sister Elaine S. Dalton  (This was from the General Young Women Meeting) 

There were so many other great talks I didn't choose quotes from.  I also loved Elder Oaks' talk on sacrifice and Elder Anderson's story about the family in Haiti surviving the earthquake.  It was such an inspiring and uplifting weekend!