Mission: Completion!

Last night was our Ward Thanksgiving Party. I am the Activities Committee Chair, as well as the entire committee. I rely on the ward council to second-guess my decisions and tell me that I am wrong about everything, and then I go forward making no one completely happy. It is a great system.

So, the tradition is a talent show along with the dinner, but let me tell you--it is painful. We have some very talented people in the ward, and none of them share their talents. Mostly it is Sunbeams breathing into the microphone and HPs telling goofy jokes. Plus, the majority of the ward is out of town, so I decided to forgo the show in favor of watching a movie.

Oh, the blasphemous horror!

I stuck to my guns, but told people that if they were dying to perform, OF COURSE we would love to be entertained. Again, no one wanted to do any talents. (But I am sure that this will be remembered as "The year we weren't ALLOWED to have a talent show.")

**A side note: We got off to a rocky start last weekend on our way home from California, and ended up taking two days to get home, which meant I missed the ward council meeting last week. I had the dinner all planned and assigned, and I informed the 1st councilor that I was going to be gone, and let him know of my plans. He was very cool with it. So at the meeting, the RS president decided that my plans were not acceptable, changed them all, and then told me "Well, somebody had to pick up the ball. You weren't there." Later, she told me "You don't have enough people doing this, and you don't have enough things assigned. You are going to find out that it is much harder than you think it is, and you will be in trouble." (She wasn't there last night.)**

This wasn't supposed to be a story about how rough I had it. Please excuse.

Anyhoo, I got there early to set up, and found the bishopric readying a fryer for a turkey. We set up the tables, and the missionaries helped me decorate. I heated up some food in the oven, the High Priests came with the projector, set up the movie, and people started pouring in. They brought their food and desserts, and started eating. I asked a friend to sit with Jooj and make sure she ate, and while they ate I cleaned up the kitchen. Another friend helped me clean, and they started a movie. People went home instead of watching the movie, which meant that I got to clean up even earlier. The tables and chairs got put away, the floors were mopped, and I took the dishes home to wash. And we all got home by 9 pm.

So, basically, people are good. They see that they are needed and help out. I didn't have it rough. I didn't fail. And when people told me "You did such a great job!" I responded with "I didn't do very much at all--everyone helped out."

And that is why I love this Church. Because, despite the crankiness, people are good.