Catching feathers

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Have you ever arrived at a class late, and never felt like you entirely caught on to what was going on? That was me this morning.

Usually an older lady who lives down the street from me gives me rides to institute on Tuesday mornings. This morning she called me to let me know that she wasn't going to make it. So I called another lady in our ward who lives nearby and usually goes to institute, and she told me she could give me a ride. She picked me up, and then dropped her young daughter off at her sister's home, but got caught up talking with her sister for a little while and we ended up arriving at class about fifteen minutes late. (*Please note, I'm not complaining. I'm grateful that I was able to attend institute at all.)

When we arrived, someone was reading a quote about how materialism is the opposite of spirituality, and how pride is forgetting that everything we have comes from God, or something like that. I figured out that they were in the last chapters of Helaman, and they were discussing the words of Samuel the Lamanite. The conversation flowed into repentance, signs of Christ's coming and death, to how it only took about three years for the people to turn from righteousness to wickedness, and eventually to ways that we should be preparing for the second coming of Christ just as people in the Book of Mormon were preparing for his first coming. (Through prayer, repentance, gathering together, fortifying ourselves by strengthening our testimony and becoming converted, and centering ourselves by standing in holy places.) But somehow, even though I was hearing the words, and reading along, taking notes and trying to participate in the discussion the best I could, I never felt like I was totally there, totally involved, totally absorbing everything. As I walked out, I tried to review what I had learned, and it was like trying to catch feathers blowing in the wind. Sometimes I would think I had them, but as soon as I tried to grasp them, they would flutter away out of reach again.

Why? Was it because I had missed the opening prayer, and I didn't have the right Spirit with me? Was it because I wasn't in the right frame of mind? Was it because I was still feeling sleepy this morning? I don't know.

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