Now in years past this would be a reason for full-boar panic. But after serving as a member of the Primary Presidency I have developed my own last-minute-talk system.
A) Do not leave the presidency hanging unless your family has been struck with a barfy flu or diarrhea.
B) Invite said child over for a chat. Remind him/her of the talk assignment. Ask what he wishes to use as a talk subject. Some guidance may be necessary here, for example I suggested DS-7 might want to talk about thanks since November is the month of Thanksgiving.
C) Get out a notebook and pen/pencil and ask him some pointed questions. In the case of the Thanksgiving talk I asked what he was thankful for and why.
Write it down, type it up, and let him read in for his talk.
Here is what DS-7 said:
"My talk today will be about giving thanks.
I am thankful for the earth because we live here. It has water and mountains and fresh air.
I am thankful for my new pet cat, Ginger, because she’s fun, she plays a lot and she makes me smile.
I am thankful for Mom, because she helps me and Dad because sometimes he takes me fishing with the uncles.
I am thankful for L----. I like to play split screen on the video games with him.
I am thankful for my teachers in school and Primary. I like to go to school and I like to learn new things.
I am thankful for books,
food,
animals,
trees and my house.
I have so many things to be thankful for, I can’t even name them all.
I think giving thanks is important because it makes me remember how many things I have been given.
I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."
I will admit to doing some editing. I dropped the part about how he was not thankful for his brother because he was “mean to me every day” and when he started listing everything he spotted at random “uhhh, the sleeping bag, ummm, paper,” I replaced it with the “I can’t even name them all line.”
The Primary leaders, who have sat through countless badly performed morality tale readings from the Church’s children magazine, find this kind of talk a welcome relief.
The child in question is proud of himself because the leaders offer him sincere complements for his work and the child learns how to write his own talk.
Best of all, I don’t have to thumb a stack of children’s magazines looking for a morality tale for my child to read badly in front of his peers.
Also good to know:
Hair pompadour! If you have baby fine, stick straight hair this is a great way to control the stuff. I was introduced to it several months ago by a hair stylist, or technician or whatever they call themselves now days.
After washing and drying my hair (with a hair dryer, standing on my head and back combing ~ a process us old folks remember as being ratting ) I put a little bit of the hair pompadour on my fingers and slick everything into place. I can make it flip under or up, mold it so the bang’s don’t fall in my face and fluff up the back. It’s great stuff. Try it!
3 comments:
My hair is also baby fine. This means it is soft and shiny. It also means it has a mind of it's own. I have discovered in recent years that it is at least wavy, Hooray!! not straight as Mom always said it was. I like a natural look, and also like a little poofiness on top. I gave up curlersa in the seventies. after years of sleeping on hard prickly curlers for years, just to have Mom exclaim upon seeing me "L Can't you do something with your hair! I did somethomg alright I grew it out to mid back lentgh and wore it pulled back with a barret for years. Until I was past forty. I even refused to curl it for my wedding even though Mom gathered together every spare curler in her house and sent them to me in the mail! I eventually gave them to DI. I tried various styles after that getting shorter and shorter. I also tried various colors red. blonde brown and frosted. I have worn it super short for 10 years all the time admiring thenatural curls. It has grown some now and I still see curls. I have tried curling up gels and they work quite well. I will now try pompodor stuff, but nevernever again will a curler ever touch my hair again abd never apermenent either
I going to have to pass on the hair goo. Good zen talk preparing, if one could use zen and primary together. We are headed that way mon. Won't have time to drop by, we'll be at R & R's Mon. & tue. night H. is staying at PCH tue. night and T. will stay with her in her room.
I love the talk. It has heart and sincerity. I finally figured out how to do it too. Gotta love what being in a presidency teaches you. Of course it is hard won experience but all the good stuff is unfortunately. I'll have to investigate this pompador goo! It sounds like a winner. Now if they only had it for wrinkles and jowels.
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