by David E Bay, High Councilor

We were racing down the airport concourse. Could we make it to the gate in time? Or would we need to spend another night away from home?

My sweetheart, Coleen, and I had just spent a week with our son, Leo, and his family. We enjoyed playing games with Baxter, our 14-year-old grandson. I searched for clues to solve a mystery with our 8-year-old granddaughter, Andi. And I spent hours playing in the water with 3-year-old Matt.

Leo’s wife and family were driving home, but Coleen, Leo and I were flying back. We arrived at the airport for our homeward trip in plenty of time. However, our plane did not. The airplane landed after we were supposed to be loaded and ready to go for our flight. All in all, mechanical issues caused a delay of a little over an hour. We were concerned because our originally scheduled flight had about 40 minutes to reach our connecting flight. There was a 30-minute walk between gates to our next and final plane. Not much wiggle room was in the schedule.

The pilot made up as much time as possible by increasing the speed of the aircraft. When we got off our first flight and entered the terminal there were 26 minutes left before the scheduled departure. Coleen had had foot surgery, which despite doing well with the healing, left her unable to travel long distances by walking. An airport attendant met her with a wheelchair. So, he and I ran as fast as we could to the departing gate. As we arrived the crew was preparing to close the door. We were the last two people to board the plane. We made it home only after a massive effort by us.

This experience led me to ponder the idea of connections in each of our journeys to our eternal home. I realize that the connections that matter most are not those of timing or connections to objects such as websites, but those with the people around us. We develop skills and abilities as well as have interests and hobbies. We use our skills and interests in our interactions with those around us. We interact with others as we participate in commercial activities and organizations that we affiliate with.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gives us many opportunities to associate with others. As we connect with others with an attitude of “love, share, and invite” our relationships deepen. That kind of attitude helped time with my family and grandchildren to become a positive for all of us.

However, interacting with a spirit of contempt, division, and demand causes separation and bad feelings. President Russell M Nelson taught us in April 2023, “Anger never persuades. Hostility builds no one. Contention never leads to inspired solutions.” He reinforced that last weekend in General Conference. “Contention prevents the Holy Ghost from being our constant companion. … As followers of Jesus Christ, we should lead the way as peacemakers.” He admonished us, “As the world becomes more wicked, we need to grow increasingly pure. Our thoughts, words, and actions need to be unfailingly virtuous and filled with the pure love of Jesus Christ towards all men.”

We should allow our connections with others to let them feel invited to come to our Savior, Jesus Christ.