President Thomas S. Monson
Closing Remarks
General Conference October 2009
Text Source; November 2009 Ensign

President Thomas S. Monson

President Monson gave us a great closing message. He began with the typical lines about thanking everybody who participated, especially those involved with the music,  reminding us the talks would soon be available in the Ensign and Liahona for our further study, and thanking those who were released.

Then he got down to specific messages for our day and time (what we need to be thinking about the next six months). He opened with several ocean going (ship) references. He said:

1. Many in the world have slipped from the moorings of safety of following the commandments.
2. It is a time of permissiveness, with many breaking the laws of God. We, as members often find ourselves swimming against the current of society.
3. He spoke of the Book of Ether when the Lord told the people they could not cross the great deep unless he prepared them against the waves of the sea, winds, and floods which would come.
4. President Monson assures us that we have been prepared. If we heed the Lord’s words and follow his commandments, we will survive this time of wickedness and permissiveness – a time that can be compared to the waves, winds, and floods.

He invoked the blessings of heaven upon us, that we would safely return to our homes, and ponder the things of the conference that we might know of their surety and truth. He asked that we, as the people of King Benjamin, might have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually. He asked that we might all leave as better people than we were when the conference began.

President Monson told us he loved us, he prays for us, he asked us to remember him and all the General Authorities in our prayers, plead for strength and the ability for us to do our part in moving forward this marvelous work.

He bore his testimony and bid us farewell for six months.

We first wordled his General Conference closing message in black and white.

October 2009 General Conference Closing Comments black+white wordle

A quick examination of the Mormon Wordle above results in the findings below:

1. The word “May” seems to be more prominent than we recall from the talk. A closer examination finds him using it to encourage us (May we incorporate into our daily lives the truths found therein, may you say with the people of King Benjamin) and to plead with Heavenly Father in our behalf (May all of you return safety to your homes, May every man and woman, boy and girl leave this conference a better person, May God give us the strength and the ability and the determination to play our part as well, May God bless you, May His promised peace be with you always).
2. The word “time” occurs frequently. President uses “time” to represent the era in which we live (We live at a time, it is a time of permissiveness, we will survive this time of permissiveness, a time which can be compared) and in closing he bids us farewell for six months’ time.
3. He used the word “words” a few times to represent the words of the scriptures (If we heed His words and live the commandments, I am reminded of the words of the Lord) and once in a quote from King Benjamin (We believe all the words which Thou hast spoken).
4. As would be expected, we see permissiveness, wickedness and commandments in larger fonts.

Please take the opportunity to view the other Mormon Wordle on this same talk we will be posting shortly. It is done in a carved stone format.