Real life

This past weekend was so nice.  Easter was wonderful to enjoy as a family, and Conference was so uplifting and so filled with hope.  (In our religion, we have a General Conference twice a year, which nearly all members worldwide are able to listen to.  It is a chance to hear and learn from the leaders of the church, who we believe are modern-day Prophets and Apostles on the earth, just as Christ had in His church.) 

Today, “real life” starts back up.  At the end of Conference, or at the end of any wonderful event, I always feel so uplifted and full of joy in the possibilities of the future.  But then, inevitably, real life begins again, as it always must.  The brief reprieve is over, and the ride must continue. 

“As we listen to the messages in this Conference, we will be touched in our hearts, and make resolutions and commitments to do better.  But on Monday morning, we will return to work, school, neighborhoods, and a world that in many cases is in turmoil.” – Elder Quentin L. Cook, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

I find myself struggling today, as I always do, to hold onto those commitments and changes in my heart.  Real life is so much less glamorous and so much more difficult than quiet, removed moments. 

But thank goodness for those quiet, removed moments.  They offer the opportunities for reflection that inspire us to change and to hope.

And I want to change, to be a better mother.  The world is in turmoil.  But if I keep trying to be better, my family and I can make it a better place.