What a Companion!
Last week, about 4:00 in the afternoon, I was making some orange rolls for dinner. When I was almost done, I received the prompting that if I wanted a rotisserie chicken (which I would need for the soup I was also going to make) I needed to go to the store right after making the rolls. I was about to leave, when I remembered an email I wanted to send. What difference would 30 seconds make? I sent the email and headed for the store. Upon arriving at the store, I went directly to the rotisserie chicken stand. I walked up just in time to see another lady stop in front of the stand, eye the very last chicken and then pick it up and put it in her cart! I couldn’t believe it! I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
If only I hadn’t sent the email.
Turns out 30 seconds did make a difference.
I went to the deli counter and asked if they had any more chickens. The employee said “No. For some reason the chickens have been going really fast tonight.” I was able to find another option – and dinner went on. As I thought about what had just happened, I was so grateful I had seen the last chicken snatched up. If I had walked up and seen the whole stand empty I would have thought it didn’t matter how fast I would have gotten there. But I was reminded instead, that I need to follow the promptings I receive with exactness. Thank goodness Heavenly Father reminded me of that principle using a rotisserie chicken, allowing me to get it right in the future when it really mattered. Maybe a week or a month from now, I will get a prompting I need to follow with exactness and maybe it will really matter to me or my family or someone else. I hope I will be alert and ready.
I can’t help but be grateful that the Holy Ghost cares about every detail of our lives! He cares about rotisserie chickens. He cares about what we care about – including the smallest details of our lives.
Speaking of gratitude, did any of you read the Monthly Message for November? Here is a picture of the things we are grateful for. (Marley wrote her name about 12 times – and kept saying, “Well….I’m grateful for myself.” She’s popular too, remember…)
Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Blog to you soon,
Hilary
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:04 pm
I love the stories that make me laugh out loud. And teach me at the same time. Funny how we don’t think that promptings can happen for little things in our lives. Dinner went on….but…it might have been different. One little thing….
I have the poster in my dining room. LOVE IT!!! But, because it is in the dining room, I find that I am very grateful for food. That is ok too. I cannot wait until my family comes for Thanksgiving. I’m looking forward to seeing what they will write on it. Thank you for the idea
It will be a yearly tradition now.
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Hilary, thank you so much for the orange roll and rotisserie chicken blog! It reminded me of living in Payson Utah & commuting up to American Fork daily to work. Hated the 30 mile drive. I had an appointment after getting off work from Twin Labs in AF, to see an apartment of an LDS co-worker at 5:30 p.m. Immediately after walking into the parking lot to leave work to get in my car the Holy Ghost told me, “Do NOT go see the appointment, go straight home immediately!” I called my friend and told her about my prompting. She replied to me, “Be sure to let me know tomorrow why, I’m curious. I’m sure it’s important.” While driving south on I-15 just past Provo, on the inside shoulder of the fast lane, was a young lady stopped in her car with a flat tire. The temperature was cold and dropping. I pulled over to help her and offered to change her flat. She was in a hurry to get home, didn’t know how to change a flat. She asked me for a ride home in Payson!!!! She locked her car up, and I was able to take her safely home! I am grateful that I listened.
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Hope your family has a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Just know that YOU, and your music, will definitely be on my list!
Cheyenne
November 23rd, 2009 at 6:11 pm
I have found this so true in the last few years. The tiny promptings that, when I first get them, wonder why would that matter? And then I find out later that it would’ve mattered. Maybe it wouldn’t have changed my life drastically, but you realize that someone’s looking out for you.
I love that you find this in life. It shows in your music. I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving! We will here!
November 23rd, 2009 at 8:55 pm
I really miss you and Tim and family in Colorado…when can you come for a visit?
November 23rd, 2009 at 9:00 pm
I love this. As I’ve been reading the new conference Ensign, I’ve noticed that this is a pretty common topic…which means we really need to pay attention. Thanks for reminding me to heed even the smallest of promptings…it’s an area where I definitely have room to improve.
The end.
Oh, I LOVE the poster idea — I want to add it to my list of traditions for sure!
The end for realsies.
November 23rd, 2009 at 9:21 pm
i love this on so many levels and for so many reasons.
PS I’m grateful for YOU.
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Hi Hilary…I love this story. Such a great reminder. Makes me wonder how many times things could have turned out differently if I would have paid more attention. What a great learning moment. And I have to say, I love the title of your blog. “Believe in what you’re doing, believe in who you are.” I actually just sang this song in our ward a few weeks ago and it has come to have such special meaning to me, as have SO MANY of your other songs. You are truly inspired and I just want you to know how much a lowly Idaho girl appreciates you.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Angie
Angie
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:39 pm
I made sure to put my name down twice so that you won’t forget me!
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:42 pm
That is one lesson you taught me a couple years ago that has stuck with me – that Heavenly Father cares about what we care about, whether they are big or small, spiritual or temporal. I can’t even begin to tell you the imapct that that has had on my life. And it is part of what I shared when I spoke at our Enrichment night. And one lady came up to me afterwards and said that that was exactly what she needed to hear. I am SO grateful for you adn the example yo uare to me and the lessons I have been able to learn from you.
Love ya tons and hope you have a great Thanksgiving!
November 24th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Heavenly Father gave you that experience to teach me as well I believe… SO many time in my life I second guess the Holy Ghost for ME (my little self on my shoulder)… telling me to turn around and turn off my flat iron or to call a friend… (luckily nothing bad happened with ignoring the flat iron prompting.. except maybe a higher electric bill by a few cents..) I need to be better and I thank you for that reminder. I am thankful for people like you in my life. Have a wonderful holiday!
November 25th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Thank you for sharing. Sometimes thirty seconds really does make a huge difference!! Glad your family was still fed!
November 27th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Love this! You are so talented at recognizing God’s hand in the details of our lives. Such a great reminder. Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful! Those two little girls are so sweet!
November 28th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
Thanks for sharing your experience. It is interesting to think how many big things there are for Heavenly Father to think about, but he still does take the time to guide us even in smaller things. Sorry you didn’t get your chicken, but you did get the message.
November 29th, 2009 at 10:02 am
Hi-
I am the girl at Time out for women that said you were my new “BFF” All Psychoness aside, I googled you and found your blog. Just wanted to say: Thanks for the inspiration, thanks for using such a beautiful talent for good, thanks for being there that day singing what you did. I so appreciate the time you took away from your family to bless our lives through song. You have a beautiful voice, you are amazing on the piano, and you were so dang funny! Once again, thanks, thanks, thanks. I will be purchasing your CD’s soon!
November 29th, 2009 at 10:03 am
P.s. me again.. I am giving my lesson today in YW on Time management. What a perfect story to throw in! Thanks again.