Talk ‘N Turkey

I couldn’t resist the title!  So, two completely unrelated things going on in my life.  Yesterday I was asked to speak in sacrament meeting (my congregation’s worship service).  In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we have a lay ministry so sooner or later everyone gets the chance to be the “preacher” (although you generally share the pulpit with a youth speaker and another adult speaker).  I was asked to speak on the topic “The Reason for our Hope” from a talk of the same title in the October 2014 General Conference.  I was asked on Wednesday to speak on Sunday.  I usually like a little more notice so I can read the resources and then think about the topic for awhile and let ideas, stories, scriptures come to mind.  Since I didn’t have time to do that, I spent most of Saturday trying to hunt down things I could use.  I woke up Sunday morning thinking, “I’m just not feeling this talk”.  Fortunately, we believe that it’s not just the speaker’s responsibility to present, it is also the listener’s responsibility to receive, and all are uplifted when the Holy Spirit is present.  So I did some praying, and stepped up to the pulpit hoping for the best.  Talking about Hope and Jesus Christ is a pretty profound topic.  I focused on the hope we can have in the cleansing power of the Atonement, and in the strengthening/enabling power of the Atonement to help us cope with our trials and weaknesses.  I think the congregation especially enjoyed my remarks on my struggles with my temper (at least judging from the smiles and laughter)!!  I didn’t feel I could speak on this topic and not mention my biggest challenge right now which is moving forward after Tom’s death.  I didn’t say a whole lot, but I did manage to get through it without losing my composure completely (a little wavering and a stray tear doesn’t count, right??)  So I’m figuring I’m good now for a couple of years – I can sit back comfortably and enjoy the efforts of others in the crowd.  🙂

Today I’m attempting the roasting of a turkey we were so generously gifted at Thanksgiving.  Why didn’t we eat it then, you ask?  Why because we had Thanksgiving with my parents, of course! And my mom made a fantastic Thanksgiving feast.  But I’ve had this turkey sitting in the freezer reminding me every time I retrieved a frozen food, that it wanted to be enjoyed.
Here’s the outcome….

Not bad for a rookie attempt. We had a faux thanksgiving dinner with boxed stuffing, instant potatoes, gravy from a packet (included with the turkey-so helpful!), and green beans. We all liked it and we’ve got lots of turkey left. I’m thinking turkey noodle soup which sounds really good with all the snow we’ve been getting.