It is a difficult adjustment for our three young boys to sit still and quiet for all of Sacrament meeting. It is still a foreign experience for them since we started attending six months ago. Sometimes we’ll make it until almost the very end. Sometimes we’ll make it to the middle of the first hymn.

Thank you for sharing that story, it is very insightful into the importance of being on time and doing things today as opposed to tomorrow. What you are saying completely makes sense. “Too late” and procrastination are things that we must all be mindful of.

Anyway, I want to share a story with you. One of the mothers in our ward has seven children, and she and her husband often arrive separately, and he has some children with him and she brings the others. One day during F & T meeting she shared this story. She had been late that morning, and as the elders blocked the door,one of them said in a whisper, “Too late.” She said the entire time she was in the lobby all she could think about was how her whole family was inside in a reverent quiet setting…all apart from her. Her mind wrapped around that thought and just wouldn’t let go. She compared it to the amends people mean to make to their daily lives, but they procrastinate until it’s too late,and they are forever cut off from their families.

When she spoke, it was like she was speaking to me, and every single time I’m late, I think about how I’m cut off from the others in my ward family. They’re inside, and I’m out where it’s a little less reverent and a lot lonelier. I think about how my three children who are now adults are in other wards at that very moment partaking of the Sacrament and about how I don’t want to be cut off from them. Not only do I want to spend eternity with them, but I also want to be having the same Sunday morning experience of the Sacrament with them (although we are separated geographically).

I hope this makes sense. I’m writing quickly because it’s time to go to work.

I know the Lobby is a different atmosphere than inside where Sacrament is taking place, but besides the two lobbys I wish there were more areas. I guess this is the price for having kids, in any case I’m sure if I really needed to hear the talk, then I would have heard it.

And you’re right about the front rows

My wife and I had a similar though slightly different experience. It happened on Sunday were our kids were being especially difficult and we arrived late. We missed the prayer for the sacrament, but it was still being passed in the lobby. The Deacon passing the sacrament made a snide remark about our tardiness and refused to give us the sacrament. When the water was passed he made no attempt to give it to us, but passed us by.

Now I’m not sure about the protocol for receiving the sacrament if you miss the prayer, but I am sure that the attitude this young man showed was highly inappropriate (people have gone inactive for less). It even made my wife upset and that’s not easily done. I ended up just ignoring it because, after all, he just an immature teenager. I probably did the same stupid, judgmental stuff when I was his age (although I would have given the sacrament to us:).

As for the lobby noise, those who have grown up LDS knows there is nothing you can do about that. Especially when there are other wards in the building. The lobby is a place to meet and converse. You also have the people that take their kids out of sacrament because they are being too loud there and parents that just don’t want to be confined to a pew with their kids. So its just not the place you want to be if you really are into sacrament. The best thing to do if your late is to just go in after the sacrament has been passed. If you are afraid there will not be a seat I’ll give you a hint one how to find one; no one ever fills the front row☺