Sunday School lesson II

Shortly after 9/11, the LDS Church held their semi-annual General Conference of the Church. President Gordon B. Hinckley made several speeches during the two-day conference, in his Sunday morning speech he addressed the state of the world following the terrorist attacks. Here is a small segment (emphasis mine):

"Occasions of this kind pull us up sharply to a realization that life is fragile, peace is fragile, civilization itself is fragile. The economy is particularly vulnerable. We have been counseled again and again concerning self-reliance, concerning debt, concerning thrift. So many of our people are heavily in debt for things that are not entirely necessary. When I was a young man, my father counseled me to build a modest home, sufficient for the needs of my family, and make it beautiful and attractive and pleasant and secure. He counseled me to pay off the mortgage as quickly as I could so that, come what may, there would be a roof over the heads of my wife and children. I was reared on that kind of doctrine. I urge you as members of this Church to get free of debt where possible and to have a little laid aside against a rainy day.

We cannot provide against every contingency. But we can provide against many contingencies. Let the present situation remind us that this we should do.

I do not know what the future holds. I do not wish to sound negative, but I wish to remind you of the warnings of scripture and the teachings of the prophets which we have had constantly before us.

I cannot forget the great lesson of Pharaoh's dream of the fat and lean kine and of the full and withered stalks of corn."

So yesterday in Sunday School we were learning about Joseph in Egypt and the interpretation of Pharoah's dream and someone remembered this talk, that it was given in October 2001. When I told Ben, he remembered immediately that Lehmann Bros. collapsed in September 2008. 7 years later. When this address was given, we probably all assumed that we had already enjoyed the 7 years of plenty and were headed into the lean because of the war and such. I just thought it was interesting enough to share. Only 5 1/2 more years!