The Best is Yet to Be

This is the title of the talk I gave today at church. It is also the title of the talk it was based on by Elder Holland. I liked writing this talk. Mainly as with most talks we are asked to give, the one researching and speaking is usually the one that gets the most out of it. Here it is:

The Best is Yet to Be

Faith

I have moved 39 times in my life. Though some of those moves were small and across town, there were many that were distant and required preparation and faith to accomplish.

Before one of my larger moves and life changes I felt unsettled in leaving my current living situation and state. One night as I was studying I found peace in the scripture 1 Nephi 4:6. This is the time where Nephi was to retrieve the brass plates from the home of Laban. Here Nephi states, “I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.” The faith Nephi must have had to first receive the promptings, and second to actually follow.

In this last move back here to Oregon I left behind in Maryland 8 yrs of acquired friendships, contacts, and safety. Though I knew I was leaving many things behind, I looked forward to being reunited with family, and seeing what I could become in this new phase of my life. A kind of “Starting over”.

Elder Holland opened the January 2009 BYU devotional address with the phrase:
“Look ahead and remember that faith is always pointed toward the future.”

Elder Holland continued in his address to talk about the trials of Lot. Lot was told by the Lord in Genesis 19:17 “Escape for thy life”. And, “Look not behind thee…; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed”

The hardships in leaving their home and comfort were nothing in comparison to the dismay of losing their wife and mother as she looked back, and in doing so became a pillar of salt. As Elder Holland points out, “She was not just looking back, her heart wanted to go back.”

Elder Neal A Maxwell, commented once on Lot’s wife and stated that, “such people know they should have their primary residence in Zion, but they still hope to keep a summer cottage in Babylon”. Her attachment to the past outweighed her confidence in the future.

Lot’s wife did not have faith. She doubted. Not only in her husband, but also in the Lords ability to provide her with something better that what she already had.

We see another example of this in Luke 9:61-62. As the Lord was traveling with Peter, James and John a man stated to the Lord, “I will follow thee; but let me first go and bid them farewell, which are at home in my house”. The Lords comment to him was, “No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

As we learn from the popular phrase, “Learn from the past, live in the present, look to the future.” The past is to be learned from, but not lived in.

Forgive and Forget

A vital part of looking towards the future by learning from our past is learning to forgive and forget. Elder Holland points out that: “There is something in many of us that particularly fails to forgive and forget earlier mistakes In life-either our mistakes or others. It is not good”.

In the mission I served my mission president strongly counseled to not have parents and or other family come and “pick us up” from the mission field. He told the story of a young man who when he came into the mission field was small and weak, both physically and spiritually. He watched this Elder stretch and grow. Accepting calls to leadership and serving faithfully. By the time of the end of this missionaries mission the Elder had changed to one of “mighty stature”. As was the custom at this time the Elders family came to tour the mission area and escort him back home. My mission President told us of how he watched the family tease and joke about the “poor companions” that had to put up with him. He watched as this Elder who had seen the Lords potential for him and had became strong in stature and spirit, slowly fade and doubt the Lords plan for him.


Repentance


As Elder Holland states: Let people repent; let people grow.
To often when couples are deeply hurt or even just deeply stressed, they reach father and farther into the past and find yet a bigger brick to throw through the window “pain” of their marriage. It is not right to go back and open some ancient wound that the son if god himself died to heal.

In DC 58:42 The Lord states: “behold he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, remember them no more”

This repentance has to be sincere.

We need to follow the example of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies, and bury our weapons of war and leave them buried.

One thing to consider at the start of this New Year is that our Heavenly Father doesn’t care as much about where we have been as He does about where we are, and with His help, where we are willing to go.

And really what is a new year, rather than just the star of something new. A time to renew. A new move to a new place. The same as each birthday we celebrate, or when we take on the covenants of baptism. Or when we receive the blessings of the temple. Each week in partaking of the sacrament. Daily in our prayers and conversations with our Heavenly Father.

As Luke records in Luke 17:32: The Lord reminds us to “Remember Lot’s wife”

To quote Robert Browning: “The bets is yet to be”

O Christmas Tree

O Christmas Tree is a traditional German Carol. The author of the lyrics are unknown as is the composer of the lyrics. The tradition of bringing a tree inside and decorating it with candy, baubles and bells was started in the nineteenth century and is immortalized in the carol O Christmas Tree.

O Christmas Tree!

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy leaves are so unchanging;
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy leaves are so unchanging;
Not only green when summer's here,
But also when 'tis cold and drear.
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy leaves are so unchanging!
















O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Much pleasure thou can'st give me;
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Much pleasure thou can'st give me;
How often has the Christmas tree
Afforded me the greatest glee!
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Much pleasure thou can'st give me.
















O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy candles shine so brightly!
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy candles shine so brightly!
From base to summit, gay and bright,
There's only splendor for the sight.
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy candles shine so brightly!
















O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
How richly God has decked thee!
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
How richly God has decked thee!
Thou bidst us true and faithful be,
And trust in God unchangingly.
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
How richly God has decked thee! !"

Welcome Winter

Winter came down to our home one night
Quietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow,
And we, we were children once again.
~Bill Morgan, Jr.

Tonight is the first night of wintertime. Icy conditions keeping many at home in the comforts if warmth. Snuggling by a fire, drinking hot chocolate, doing projects that may have otherwise been left undone.

Or so that may be happening in some homes...

At my place I have the joy of finding other ways to keep warm, since my heating system has a mind of it's own. I am bringing in the warmth by baking.
Oven on = warm hands!

Here is the find of the season:
Dark Chocolate Cookies...
















With Sour Cherries!
















The chocolate is melty and yummy, and when you think your taste buds have found true bliss and think there is no better... they then get the tang of sour cherry. Ohhh ya!

1 -3/4 C Flour
1 -1/4 C Unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons Baking soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 -1/4 C Unsalted butter
1 -1/4 C Granulated sugar
3/4 C Packed brown sugar
2 Large eggs
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla extract
12 oz Bittersweet chocolate chopped
1 -1/2 C Dried sour cherries

Preheat oven to 350
Sift together in large bowl: flour, cocoa, soda, salt.
Cream together in mixer: butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla.
Stir in chocolate and cherries
Form round balls and place on cookie sheet approx. 3" apart. Gently pat down each ball and bake for 9-11 minutes until puffed and cracked.

Enjoy!

My sister and I have been with my Mom and Father for the past few day. Ben, my father has been in renal failure for some time and is reaching his end here on earth. On Monday I really felt that I should go to work on Tuesday. Tuesday morning came around and I still felt that pull to drive 2.5 hrs to work. I also felt that in going I would probably miss being there when Papa passed away.

Tuesday I awoke at 4:30 am unable to sleep and spent time with Papa while he slept. Before I left Coos Bay I felt to suggest family prayer. Our last call to our Heavenly father to watch over us as we part our ways.

In entering work I was greeted with a hug and an "I love you" from my fellow nurse. She had already in 4 hrs sent two of our residents to the emergency department for further evaluation. I also learned that one of our Long term residents had passed away during the night. I spent the day consoling her upset roommate who mourned the loss of someone who had never been nice to her. Comforting her with the words, "Now you have a guardian angel looking out for you." I moved from her to another resident who received word at noon that the niece he raised had also passed away. I spent time listening to how she had Alzheimers, and that he is very sad, but happy to know she is in a place of comfort. Work later brought me to calling the on call MD to receive orders to put one of my favorite residents on comfort care. (I know we aren't supposed to have favorites, but I just cannot help it!) Her resperations had dropped to 5 breaths per minute and I sadly watch and helped her get as comfortable as she could.

Work ended with a call from my sister that Papa had passed away. After gathering some necessities (chocolate) I headed for the 2.5 hr drive back to my parents. 2:00 am brought me there, a hug from my mom and a "I stayed up to lock the door" from my mostly asleep sister. And now it is 5:30 am again. 24 hrs after the start of my day. I think I am just waiting for it to all sink in.

Cookie Recipe- Finally

Here is one of the recipes I tried ou tin the cookie bake-off. It is not the "winning" recipe, but it is the one that I have been thinking about almost every day thereafter. Surprisingly.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie

3 C Old Fashioned rolled oats
1/2 C whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 C packed light-brown sugar
1 C granulated sugar
8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 C natural peanut butter
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 C salted peanuts
2 C semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Stir together the oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Mix on medium speed the brown and regular sugar, butter, and peanut butter until pale and fluffy. Mix on vanilla and eggs.

Add oat mixture and mix until just combined. Mix on peanuts and Chocolate chips.

Place balls of dough 2" apart on cookie sheet and bake until golden and just set; 13-15 minutes. let cool for 5 minute son sheets and then transfer to wire racks to completely cool.

A Little Pause...

I have been slacking a bit on my blogging. Obviously. Reason being is that I am currently working on getting another blog up and going. This other one is about certain goals and how I'm getting there. The address in case you want to follow along: www.three-hundred65days.blogspot.com .

I will be back here soon, with recipes :)

Till then here is a pretty picture for you pleasure.

Kitchen-Cookie-Aide-Bake-Off

Ever since I can remember my mom has had a large yellow kitchen aide mixer. There is even a dent on the kitchen floor where I accidentally dropped it once. Since we were lucky enough to be taught to use kitchen aides there is no other mixer to compare for us. My sister received hers when she got married. Yes I was envious, but since I knew I would soon be heading off for a mission the jealousy was subsided. Lucky me, I received one for graduating from Cosmetology school from my mom. The fun part of it was that it did not cost her but a loaf of bread. The Coos County fair gives a Kitchen Aide mixer to the best loaf of bread entered, and of course my mom one! A few weeks ago my mom decided it was time for a new mixer for herself. Trusty-flour-dusty that she has had for many years has developed a few personality traits that suggests retirement. So she announces that she needed a new one, and that she needed to make some bread. We of course understood her thought process since the County Fair was coming up.













And she won!!! It was a bit of a disappointment that it was not the usual Kitchen Aide, but a bit of money towards the one she wants is still a lucky day!


To celebrate her winning I decided to make a bunch of batches of Chocolate Chip cookies using my Kitchen Aide. OK I mainly did this since I was craving them. I am also overwhelmed with all my recipes. Which ones are good? Which ones are too good to put in the cookie jar? Here are the 5 contestants:

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies- torn ages ago from some magazine













I could not stop eating this dough! It only has 1/3 C WW flour and the rest is oats. It also has salted peanuts! The cookies itself though was a little overwhelming for me. I think if I put Milk Chocolate chips instead of the dark it would have cut a little of the richness.















Chocolate Chip Cookies- My sisters friend Laurie Marks













This dough tasted like the cookie recipe you used to find on the back of C.Chip bags. Basic, yet good. The finished product had a classic cookie taste. Downfall- if the cookie was not cooked precisely right, not loo long, not to short, it was not the most scrumptious taste for your mouth.













Chocolate Chip Cookies- Martha Stewart: Comfort foods













This one was similar to Laurie's cookie with the exception of a bit more brown sugar. The brown sugar was not disappointing. I ate two of these for breakfast!
















Chocolate Chip Cookies- "The Cookie" Cookbook













I have to admit that I had large expectations of this one. A cookbook dedicated only to cookies! This had to hold the best of the best- right? It held a disappointment for me. The cookies were the type that didn't flatted out when you cook them. Like they had too much flour or eggs. I didn't even try one. Looks hold a lot of power over me when I cook.

Chocolate Chip Butter Cookies- If I told you I would have to kill you.













This was a last minute entry for me. I had almost forgotten about this recipe tucked way. The secret ingredient of course being butter, and lets face it, butter is just tasty! I was not disappointed in this one. Dark Chocolate with creamy butter taste. If I had not eaten two of Martha's I think I would have eaten two of these!














Now for the results. I traveled far for some taste testers and now have to wait for the opportune time to have them well... taste!

I thought breakfast would be the ticket. What better for the first meal of the day besides some good ole' chocolate chip cookies and milk!













Five judges including myself. Armed with mugs of milk to cleanse the pallet in between bites. The winner- with two votes...


























Laurie Marks- Chocolate Chip Cookies! Congratulations Laurie for submitting a recipe to a church cookbook that my sister gave me for Christmas many years ago and that now will go in my book of "the best of what I've got".


Even Sam tried to have a vote!