This. This is something pretty darn special right here.
I am holding in my hands 2 tickets to the Women's Session of General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints coming up in two weeks! It is special for obvious reasons . . . we get to attend conference in the huge Conference Center in Salt Lake City. A first for both of us!
But it is special for a few more reasons. Let me tell you why.
When Conner turned 12 years old Scott took him to the Priesthood session of General Conference in Salt Lake City and a family tradition began. When Payton turned 12, father & son made another trip to the Priesthood session of General Conference and many great memories were made.
Anna turned 12 last September and continuing with tradition we were able to score two tickets to General Conference and a trip to Salt Lake City was planned. We felt so lucky to get these tickets because they aren't super easy to come by!
But then, my mom's health went down drastically, I traveled to California to be with her, and two days before General Conference . . . my mom passed away. Obviously, those general conference tickets could no longer be used, priorities shifted, and our trip was cancelled.
As you might know, my mom and I had a tradition of yearly mother-daughter getaways. We did 1 or 2 when I was a teen at home. But we really started getting serious about these annual getaways after I started having kids. It was such a treat to know that each year we would have dedicated mom-daughter time. It strengthened our relationship, we went on some really fun adventures, it was a break from real life, and we were diligent in making sure it happened every year.
Even as she was enduring cancer, we began planning a trip -- a fall leaves tour in Vermont the first week of October. This mother-daughter trip would fulfill one of her long-time desires . . . see fall colors in all their splendor. Plus, through her illness we found that the act of planning, having things to look forward to, helped her so so much. I researched a bunch of fall drives, found all the covered bridges, scoped out the cutest New England villages, and even made reservations to stay in quaint little Woodstock, Vermont. But when we reached the end of the summer 2017 and her health was not moving in a positive direction, we cancelled the trip.
In September as I watched her body failing and slipping away from us, I was hit with the harsh reality that these mother-daughter trips had come to an end. One day as I sat close to her bed holding her hand, I whispered in her ear while she slept -- I thanked her for all of our trips and experiences, and promised that I would continue the tradition with Anna. Perhaps, even, we would go see the New England fall colors one day. When we do, I hope she joins us.
. . .
So these tickets you see right here are the beginning . . . no, rather, the continuation of something special.
Mother & daughter time together. Being enriched. Strengthened. Taught. Coming closer. Experiencing new things. Looking for beauty and being grateful for it.
This will be a great trip! I've booked a cute Airbnb on Capitol Hill, we're planning an early morning hike, fun meals, audiobooks for the drive, maybe catch a glimpse of fall colors, and of course . . . soak up General Conference! - while writing notes in our new, beautiful, matching Conference notebooks by Work and Wonder.
