Sunday, December 27, 2009

    Today, the last late meeting for a year, we were late. We barely got into the lobby for Sacrament. (no choir practice this week, as you may have guessed.)  Benjamin, as you may imagine, was irritated, but behaved with forebearance.  How will we manage 9am meetings?! We should manage to be pretty much on time. No more leisurely mornings, that's all.

   One most striking message during an excellent Sacrament Meeting.  High Councilman Daniel Hunt told of a conversation he had with a Christian friend who believes that we are saved by grace.  He asked why, if our actions do not affect our salvation, why does his friend obey the commandments so righteously.  His friend, astonished at such a question, answered, “Because I love Him and He asked me to.”  Profoundly beautiful.  Or maybe beautifully profound.  Brother Hunt pointed out that if we obey from fear of punishment or hope of reward, we are more prone to see how little we can get away with, but if we obey out of love, we will not want to fudge or take any short cuts, we will want to obey as completely as possible to show our love.  Doesn’t that just make you want to cry?  Deep and true.

   We are signed up to feed the missionaries tonight. The guys and I decided that it would be a good time to use a Big can of tomato sauce we inherited from Troop 40. We would have spaghetti. We invited your siblings. They were interested in coming for dinner, but Ruth said
spaghetti makes her sick and requested pork roast or chicken. Saturday, I went to Costco and bought pork roast.  That night, just before DT&B went over to play at Ruth's (9:30), the elders called and asked to eat at 7 (or is it 7:30?). Of course, we said yes. I sent word to the sibs via the party people, thinking that they would decide not to come after all. This morning I was taking it a little easier, thinking spaghetti at 7 when I finally thought to make sure the message was delivered. It was, but the response was that they would be here for pork roast at 5.  Now I am serving dinner twice!  Our Home Teacher, Bro. Hall, said the missionaries did the same thing to them. As Halls also have little children who go to bed about then, the missionaries had to eat alone. David, who scrubbed up a dozen spuds, said if any of the 5 o'clock people want seconds, they have to wait and eat with the missionaries.

........ later....... As we prepared the pork roast dinner for 5pm, I wondered if “the kids” (how old do you have to be before you stop being “the kids” to your parents?) were really coming.  David assured me they were and they did.  Every heartily enjoyed the dinner.  The young ladies retired to the front room to play Phase 10.  I understand there was some sort of grudge or revenge match going on.   The fellas and the younguns went to the family room to play with the Wii.  Santa had brought the new old Mario game that 4 people can play at a time either cooperatively or competitively. 

     In due course the missionaries arrived.  They may have enjoyed their dinner as well, but not with the raptures of my earlier guests.  At least one of my daughters really likes pork roast, but for some reason doesn’t make it. After the missionaries had dinner, we all had ice cream with cookies that Teresa had made.

    Good Sabbath