Family and food

Hey, September's over, which means the Proclamation Celebration is technically over.

But it's only barely over, so that means I can talk about my family one last time (ha), especially in conjunction with . . . GENERAL CONFERENCE!

I have to say, my favorite memories of conference have always been at my aunt Elaine's house. During the Sunday morning session, she would let us gorge ourselves on her amazing cinnamon rolls and orange rolls and ham and cheese rolls, just in time for us to listen to Elder Hales or Elder Scott. And by listen I mean read their talks later in the Ensign because we were in a food coma.

That memory got me thinking about my Moon family (my dad's side of the family) and how cool they are. They are good at a lot of things, but if I had to narrow it down, I'd say they excel at pretty much everything. Painting, acting, ballet, singing, decorating, sewing dresses and Halloween costumes, crocheting, making magnet boards in the shape of adorable things, woodwinds, running marathons, painting Calvin and Hobbes onto shoes, writing fiction, motivational speaking, lacrosse, photography, and a myriad of other things that I'm forgetting.

But one of my favorite things about the Moons is how good they are at food. Maybe it's because cooking is the only domestic thing that I can foresee myself being decent at so I pay more attention to it, whereas everything else I look at in amazement with no clue where to even start.

Oh goodness. My aunts are so good at food. Every family gathering had delicious food, often things that I had never even considered before but that tasted delicious. From salads with amazing dressings to pies that could feed the whole of Nigeria, from authentic tamales to perfect parfaits, they know how to do food. (And it always looked gorgeous, which is another bonus.)

Although most everyone appreciates good food, I wonder if we realize just how much it can bring people together. We laugh about the dinner before the Relief Society broadcast, but it really does enrich the overall meeting. There's just a happier atmosphere at any activity when fresh fruit is available.

Even if we appreciate the taste of good food, it's pretty easy to overlook the work that goes into it. It hasn't really been until this last year where Kevin and I have had to fend for ourselves for nearly every meal that we began to understand how much work it is to plan a meal, budget for the food, cook it, and clean it up. And that's only with 2 adults -- these family gatherings can have around 50 people! I can scarcely get my mind around it. And yet my extended family would do that regularly, and even thrived on feeding other people.

What am I trying to get at? Well, first of all, thank you for feeding me all those years. It tasted good. Second of all, I really feel like nothing is temporal with God, so every labor of love involving food will be another blessing on your head in the next life. Third, even though food in and of itself cannot provide spiritual nourishment, when it's coupled with spiritual nourishment (including time with family), that is what I consider a fullness of joy.

And last of all, I think I need all those sweet roll recipes for this Sunday.