Jason's Favorite Story from General Conference

The Story of the Light Bulb, or Losing Sight of What Matters Most - As told by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"On a dark December night 36 years ago, a Lockheed 1011 jumbo jet crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing over 100 people. This terrible accident was one of the deadliest crashes in the history of the United States.

"A curious thing about this accident is that all vital parts and systems of the airplane were functioning perfectly—the plane could have easily landed safely at its destination in Miami, only 20 miles away.

"During the final approach, however, the crew noticed that one green light had failed to illuminate—a light that indicates whether or not the nose landing gear has extended successfully. The pilots discontinued the approach, set the aircraft into a circling holding pattern over the pitch-black Everglades, and turned their attention toward investigating the problem.

"They became so preoccupied with their search that they failed to realize the plane was gradually descending closer and closer toward the dark swamp below. By the time someone noticed what was happening, it was too late to avoid the disaster.

"After the accident, investigators tried to determine the cause. The landing gear had indeed lowered properly. The plane was in perfect mechanical condition. Everything was working properly—all except one thing: a single burned-out light bulb. That tiny bulb—worth about 20 cents—started the chain of events that ultimately led to the tragic deaths of over 100 people.

"Of course, the malfunctioning light bulb didn't cause the accident; it happened because the crew placed its focus on something that seemed to matter at the moment while losing sight of what mattered most."

This was just a small part of the talk he gave during General Conference. There is a really good lesson to be learned from this. How many times in life do we get focused on things that might seem important in the moment and lose sight of those things that matter most?

We haven't posted much about adoption recently, so I think that it is a good time for an update. We are currently being considered by two different birth moms. We don't know much about either one, but have hope that something will work out. We'll post more information when it is available and appropriate to share. All we know at this point is that one is in state and one is out of state.