4.

OUR GUARDIAN ANGELS

My favorite bedtime story as a child:
I remember that I loved my Mother to tell me the story of Hazel and Joseph and the guardian angel.  I had that famous painting on my wall and Mother had composed a very touching and sweet story about the children gathering flowers for their Father’s homecoming and how they stayed after dark and then prayed for help to cross the stream and return home.  The angel came!  They were able to cross safely ad return home to their parents.  This picture does not show Joseph, but he was always a part of the story.  My mother taught us that we each had a Guardian Angel with us.  I remember when I was of age to go to school I had to walk along a canal bank to get to the road where the school bus would pick us up each morning.  My mother taught me that my guardian angel would be with me as I walked along the way and I remember being aware of that and knowing I wasn't alone.

As an adult I learned that it is true.  Each morning in my prayer time I thank Heavenly Father for my guardian angel and give the angels permission to spiritualize me and guard and guide me.  Someday after we leave this earth we will all meet our guardian angel and it will be a joyful reunion because they have gone through life with us and know what we have experienced.  They have sorrowed in our sad times and they are happy when we are joyful as we choose to do what is our Father in Heaven would want us to do in our life.

I was taught that angels do not have wings, so I took my crayons and colored them out on this old picture that used to hang on the wall in my bedroom!

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 18:10

Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?  Matthew 18:10

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. Psalm 92:11

In my heart I know that our Heavenly mother has sent the guardian angels, to be with each of us to guide us through our life journey.

I wanted my children to know about their guardian angels and be grateful for their companionship. As the year was coming to a close in 1998 I had the idea to have a dinner or a lunch on New Years Eve to remember our guardian angels!  In the years following it was sometimes on another day but close to the end of the year.

After getting the idea to have the special dinner I went to Ross Store and to my surprise I see a set of dishes on the clearance table with amazing pictures of angels on them!  I turned them over and read: 

CVM Collections of the Vatican museums

Melozzo da Forli (c. 1480)

Angel Playing the Viol

It survives from a 15th century fresco, an angel, part of a choir in "The Ascension of Christ" that adorned the Basilica die Santi Apostoli in Italy until 1711.

Only fragments now exist, housed in the Pinacoteca, the painting gallerey of the celebrated Vatican Museums.

MADE IN ITALY

The vatican Museums.

The price had been 7.99 each and now they were reduced to be 4.99.  There were only five plates, and I bought them feeling very grateful to my  Spirit and guardian angel for guiding me to find them.  When I got home and read what was on the back I wondered if they were safe to eat on?  I called someplace and found that they were only to be used for display!  I felt some disappointment and thought how perfect it would be if I had clear glass plates on the top.  The next day I went to a store called Liberty House which later became Macy's and to my amazement I saw they had beautiful glass plates with silver rims that could perfectly sit on top of the angel plates and make it so one could eat on the glass plate and still see the angel painting underneath!  I bought ten of them at a very low price!  Now if you are reading this and finding it hard to believe, I understand completely, because it was truly amazing how even on a material level little wonderful things were happening to bring the 'creative idea' to fruition.  And that wasn't the end!  For Christmas of 1998 I received a set of angel placemats from a dear friend and author, Donna Green.  She wrote and illustrated a book titled, TO MY DAUGHTER WITH LOVE, which I had purchased at Barnes and Noble.  It was a book a mother could fill out to tell about herself and her mother and her daughter and give to her daughter.  I ended up buying four of them and personalizing them for each of my daughters.  I wrote to thank the author and we ended up becoming friends and she came to visit and we bonded as artists and sisters.  (She eventually wrote a book, TO MY SON WItH LOVE, which I bought and prepared for my three sons.)  Donna Green had sent me the gift of the angel placemats with gold designed angels with trumpets on one side and on the other gold 'snow flake' designs --which in my mind looked like a universe design on the back.  They were a deep blue with the gold design. On the front was a white with gold design as a frame around the blue and gold angels in the middle.  I think she had sent me four placemats and when I had the idea for the dinner I wrote to the woman who happened to make them and her tag and phone number was on the place mats! (Donna had purchased them at a craft store)  I called the woman and asked if she could do a rush order for more!  She did so and I received them in time for what I called our Angel Acknowledgment Anniversary Dinner!  I love alliterations : )  Following is what I wrote about a dinner we had on January 9th 2001.  (I have recorded about earlier dinners but they were recorded on Microsoft Word and my new mac will not let me open them : ( .  I need to work on that problem)  

ANGEL ACKNOWLEDGMENT ANNIVERSARY  DINNER

AAA DINNER (smile)

It was Tuesday the 9^th of January 2001
I had wanted to have the dinner on the last day of 2000 as we had done the last two years, but it was too much for that day, so I looked for another time.  Tuesday seemed like the day.  It was probably about 7:00 when we finally started dinner.

I set the table with a white tablecloth
The angel place mats that Donna Green sent me
I used the glass plates on top so you could see the place mats
I used the nice goblets

I prepared a beef chuck mock tender roast.
I called Safeway to ask about why it was named mock tender.
I was told that it was the tender part of the shoulder and is called the poor man's fillet minion.
I cooked some potatoes and carrots
Made some salad

I put candles on the square table so they wouldn't be on our eating table since R and S would be eating also.

It was a nice dinner

J and R and S M and C and I

After we finished eating I read some experiences people felt had been angels in their life.  Then J said she would like me to read about angels from my 'little angel book'.  I enjoyed reading it again and J especially loved it and asked me to email her a copy of what I had organized.  While we ate M had put a beautiful CD on for us to listen to.  It was sacred songs and perfect for our dinner.  Then she put on Barbra Streisand's album of "On Higher Ground" and that was beautiful also.  

The clear glass plate with the silver rim

The glass plate over the angel plate

It fits perfectly

3.

OUR HEAVENLY MOTHER

Although we are not told about our Heavenly Mother we all know instinctively that we have a Mother in Heaven.   In the beautiful Hymn, O MY FATHER,  which Sister  Elisa R. Snow composed, she wrote of our knowing we have a mother in heaven, and church members have been singing that song since 1845.  In a book titled Our Latter-day Hymns, I quote,  "Implicit in the Christian verity that all men are the spirit children of an Eternal Father is the usually unspoken truth that they are also the offspring of an Eternal Mother.  This glorious truth of celestial parentage, including specifically both a Father and a Mother, is heralded forth by song in one of the greatest of Latter-day Saint hymns, O My Father by Eliza R. Snow." (Elder Bruce R. McConkie. "Mormon Doctrine, pp. 516-17.)

O MY FATHER

O My Father, thou that dwellest

In the high and glorious place

When shall I regain thy presence

And again behold thy face?

In thy holy habitation

Did my spirit once reside?

In my first primeval childhood,

Was I nurtured near thy side?

For a wise and glorious purpose

Thou has placed me here on earth

And withheld the recollection

Of my former friends and birth

Yet oft-times a secret something

Whispered "You're a stranger here,"

And I felt that I had wandered

From a more exalted sphere.

I had learned to call thee Father,

Thru thy Spirit from on high,

But, until the key of knowledge

Was restored, I knew not why.

In the heav'ns are parents single?

No, the thought makes reason stare!

Truth is reason; truth eternal

Tells me I've a Mother there.

When I leave this frail existence

When I lay this mortal by

Father, Mother may I meet you

In your royal courts on high?

Then, at length, when I've completed

All you sent me forth to do,

With your mutual approbation

Let me come and dwell with you.

There are certain things we can assume about our Heavenly Mother.  We know the Heavenly Mother would be an associate co-creator, a spiritual administrator and personality creator.  We can know she is the co-director in management of the Grand Universe. While the love of God is like the love of a father, there must be the love and affection of a mother spirit.  And we are their universal family.

Our Heavenly Mother would be a LOVING, MERCIFUL and ministering spiritual personality.  Even as our Earthly Mothers enfold us in their love, one can imagine that our Heavenly Mother would do no less.  Our Father sends his spirit to be with us and be us if we choose to do his will.  Certainly our Mother's Spirit would envelop us and in cooperation with the Father's spirit would work as one for our spiritual advancement.

Our Heavenly Mother would perfectly SUSTAIN and ably ASSIST our Father.  Mother would be ALL WISE AND EVER-FAITHFUL.  Mother would be EVER-PRESENT and an ALL-WISE ADVISER of the Father.  Mother would CO-OPERATE, and be a SURE HELPER.  Our Heavenly Mother would be a LOVING, CARING AND NURTURING MOTHER. 

2.

REMEMBRANCE MEAL FOR JESUS

April 23^rd, 2000

Easter Sunday

I try to have Remembrance lunches or suppers for Jesus in April, August and December.  I like to have the April occasion somewhat like the Passover meal, at least with some of the traditional foods and of course to remember his Resurrection.  In August it is focused on our gifts we can bring Jesus.  In December we remember his gifts he gives us as well as his birth.  I had been preparing in mind and on paper for several days.   I am always anxious to SEE the presentation of the meal, even before it is cooked!  So, on Saturday night I set the table with all the royal plates that J gave me and the shorter goblets, some topaz and some green.  (The tall glass goblets were put on before the meal) I covered everything with a long piece of blue and white yardage I have.  Early Sunday morning I got a brilliant idea and took everything off the table and put a left over strip of clear plastic on top of the white tablecloth so I wouldn't have to worry about the little ones spilling grape juice on the cloth!  The plastic was left over painters plastic that I had bought when trying to cover the garage roof to keep it from leaking before J could fix it!  It was just three feet wide and was perfect for the table.  (I was going to return it after I found a larger piece for the roof.)  I reset the table and it looked beautiful.  I had a beautiful Easter lily at the window end of the table.  It had four blossoms and I actually saw one of the blossoms open as I did my preparation!  It was so fragrant!  

 I cut all the vegetables and put them in separate baggies.  (Carrots, green, red and yellow peppers, yellow crookneck squash and red onions.  (I forgot to buy the zucchini.)  I made a marinade for them and had that ready.  I scrubbed the 14 little red potatoes and put them in a bag.  I defrosted the four pieces of salmon and put them in a Pyrex container with the seasonings on top and covered it to put back in the refrigerator.  I mixed up the matzo ball ingredients with the eggs and put that in the refrigerator.  I also put the rice on to cook with the warmer function set.

C and I got ready and went to Church.   It was so nice to have her sitting by me in Church.  She wore a light beige sweater and long beige skirt.  She wore the special white and purple Kiana lei made with Thailand orchids that I gave her on the 16^th and she wore at her graduation.  It still looked so beautiful and so did she.  I wore the Micronesian ginger lei over a light flowered dress which seemed appropriate for Easter.  C wouldn't let me tell anyone about her being a flight attendant!  She said it is just our secret!  I just wanted to tell everyone!  She said it wasn't appropriate so I held back my enthusiasm!   After Sacrament, (B offered the prayer in his usual sincere way)  I left to get M and drive her to the University Ward.  She looked so beautiful in a soft ivory background dress with pink-orchid to mauve flowers and then wore a nice orchid jacket over it.  I drove back to our Ward and was there for the last fifteen minutes of Sacrament meeting.  

C and I drove home and I put all the vegetables into the Pyrex and poured on the wet seasonings and put both Pyrex containers in the oven at 400 degrees.  I put a knife into each of the potatoes and put them in the microwave to cook.  I had put some soy and sugar in the chicken earlier and I began heating it up.  It was left over from Saturday night, but was enough for us to add to our meal.  It was more of a Chinese chicken flavor so I just decided to make it more teriyaki for this meal.  J came over and cut up the apples into tiny dices and then added the chopped walnuts and honey and cinnamon for the Charoset.  B and C came to help do the other last minute things: napkins and silverware, water in the topaz and green shorter goblets and grape juice in the tall glass goblets.  J and B and C then began to serve each of the plates.  They put parsley, a little horseradish, matzo cracker and a couple bagel chips, chicken, a little red potato, the baked Salmon and colorful vegetables on each plate.  J put the Charoset in the tiny side container- a tiny plate (china doll plates I have saved-plus some Japanese mustard-soy plates!)  The water and grape juice with ice filled the goblets.  About six nice Japanese soup cups, that L gave me, placed down the center of the table were filled with the salt water to dip the parsley in.  Oh yes, there was olives also and some papaya cut up on each plate.  It was indeed a colorful table setting!  I took photos, of course.  W brought N and K.  L and M couldn't come.  J and M and S and R were there and B, C, A and D.  S didn't feel good.  Then there was M, C and I.  The table was our usual two closet door length boards on the low livingroom tables.  I used two white tableclothes.  Also I had some angels on the table down the center and some silk flowers that came apart from a lei.  They looked like springtime and Easter.   On a side table I had the candleholder J created for me, and pictures of Jesus as well as a plaque in English and Hebrew of Numbers 6:24-26 and some other things like a little new testament that contribute to the atmosphere of our day.  It was a lovely dinner and the table setting looked like a work of Art according to all the guests!  For Jesus there is nothing but the best!  Oh yes, Jesus had his place setting at the head of the table!

After our clean up, W, his two, B, J and boys and I went up to Punchbowl and they weeded while I shared a beautiful tape of Jesus.  It was a lovely Easter.

These photos do not illustrate what I have just shared above, but are more glances at the table settings.

In this photo you can see that I use two wooden closet sliding doors for the table top!  I use low tables for the support or recently I am using some plastic stools from Home Depot that are perfect for the putting the wooden boards on. I get beautiful long tablecloths from Ross for the table.  The tableware is from a mail order catalog.  They would not ship to Hawaii, so I had my mainland daughter receive them and then she arranged to ship them here.  They are gold and maroon and look somewhat like a Versacci design and look elegant and royal.  Sitting down on the floor or on pillows is the luau style of old Hawaii, and it has worked well for my family.  Some may choose to sit on the couch or living room chairs.

This was another Remembrance Supper when I invited friends over for the occasion.

Below is the Challah bread that I bake at least for Christmas and sometimes more.  

1. THE BEGINNING OF MOTHER TRUELE'S BLOG
MARCH 28, 2013

1.
This blog was inspired after I read a blog on motherhood that Richard and Linda Eyre's daughter, Sarin, wrote about all the creative inspired things she was doing to have a Christ centered Easter.  
http://motherhoodmatters.blogs.deseretnews.com/2013/03/06/a-deliberate-mothers-guide-to-a-christ-centered-easter/

I awoke in the early morning appreciating what she had shared and I was filled with the desire to share some of the wonderful traditions and experiences that I have had in an effort to have my family live Christ centered lives.  I will share this with motherhood matters, and then let the spirit guide people to discovering my blog for other creative inspired ideas.

What I will share is actually a lot of work, in contrast to Sarin's fairly simple things spread out over a couple weeks.  I love her ideas, but I think my beginning tradition I will share also has merit and may appeal to some mother's.  

I will start with a tradition that I started in 1991.  By then one child was 15 and the other six children were over twenty and two had children of their own.  So this tradition was started a little late, but the last three daughters and one son still were living close enough to enjoy the tradition and  about 10 grandchildren have a memory of it when they lived close to me.

OUR 1991 REMEMBRANCE SUPPER FOR JESUS

It was on Sunday the 18th of August 1991 that the ideas began to come to me about preparing a Remembrance Supper for Jesus on Wednesday the 21st of August.  The flow of ideas began during my Worship, Prayer and Receptivity time and continued through the day.  I went to Kahala Ward for their Ward Conference at nine in the morning, where I shared with the Primary children and leaders THE TESTIMONY OF PETER and showed the painting I painted of that moment of testimony.  During their Ward Conference I had my notebook out and wrote down some of the menu and plan that had come to me in the morning.  It was a wonderful experience of increasing little insights into how I could make the Remembrance Supper special.  
I have always saved newspaper clippings or articles about the Passover, or other Jewish Holy day meals, so I got out my JEWISH file and found I had written down some of the meanings of the foods on the ceremonial plate for the Passover.  I thought I would try to have everything they served in the passover, except the lamb.  I knew Jesus did not have that at the Last Supper with the Apostles, and so I wanted to have it somewhat like they may have had it.  I thought of the idea to go to a party supply place and get some plastic "wine" glasses.  On Tuesday morning I decided to call the Temple Emanu-El which is the only Jewish meeting place in the Islands (there may be a place on the military bases)  I talked to the girl who answered the phone and she said she wasn't Jewish, but she had been to the Passover feast and so she told me the menu, but I still wasn't satisfied, as I wanted to know the meanings of each of the foods.  She let me talk to the Administrator.  He finally ask me what was the reason for my inquiry.  I told him I was part Jewish and periodically my interest would surface in some aspect of Jewish culture.  He said he had a booklet that he could send me which would tell me all the answers better than he could say on the phone.  I ask if I could drive up there in a few minutes and pick it up.  He seemed surprised at my willingness to do so, and said, "of course it would be alright!"    When I got there it took him a few minutes to find the booklet, and he gave it to me, saying again that it would answer all my questions - more than he could say to me.  He did not seem curious about me or want to talk further.  I was delighted when I saw it, for it showed the plate and where the foods would go on the plate and the meanings of each food!  Inside it had all the "script" for the prayers and what is said, in English and in Hebrew!  I then went to the supply place, (Flora-dec) and bought some plastic "champagne" glasses for the grape juice and some others for water, and some small ones for the salt water.  I went to Safeway and found they had the Gifilte Fish in a bottle, and I bought some whole wheat Matzos.  I called around and found there was a Jewish deli at Ward Center (!), so I called there and found they had Matzo ball soup.  In the afternoon C and I went there and got $8.00 worth for take-out. 
I was so slow in my preparation that we didn't start eating until 8:00 p.m.  But, I will try to describe how it was.  I put a stripped cloth on the table which in my mind looks "Jewish"  It has pink and green and and yellow ochre stripes then in the other direction there is the same stripes, but they are lighter.  So, that was the tablecloth.  I had a black candle holder on the table with about seven white candles.  I put a board on the living-room low table and made it bigger, and so we were sitting on the floor for the dinner.  I used our best dishes.  The ones that J urged W and J to contribute to as well as M and C, so I could have a new set of Stoneware dishes on Mother's day in 1989.  They are so pretty with a delicate floral design on them.  

This is a photo of the first remembrance dinner.  The angle I took it makes the table look like it is tipping : ) But you can see the cloth I thought looked Jewish : )...and the plastic wine glasses I bought!  I have since got a collection of goblets from Ross that work fine for the grape juice.

W was going to make home visits with the Elder's quorum and Bishopric, so he said he would come late.  L came over and helped me a lot in setting the table and serving.  J's friend, M, wanted to join us when he heard about it, so he drove here from Laie.  M and C were here also.  C fixed the wine glasses together and she and L got everything placed as best as we could on the table.  It was a bit crowded, but it looked nice. 
If you visualize the plate as a clock, in the middle was the horseradish (actually we placed it near the bottom of the plate). It is the Bitter herbs, to represent the Hard Life of the Israelites.  (Life is hard for all of us!)   About 2 o'clock position was where the lamb was supposed to be, so we put the fish there.   Of course, the Lamb was to represent the lamb that was killed and the blood put over the door in order to save the life of the first born sons. Then at 4 o'clock we put the mixture we made of applesauce, cinnamon, dates and honey (blended in the blender).  It is called the Charoses and it is to represent the mortar used for the bricks.  About 10 o'clock on the plate is the Hard-boiled egg.  I don't know what it represents.  We decided it could mean mortal life- being in time and space, but Lena also called it a cholesterol ball, so she and I did not eat ours!  About in 7 o'clock position was the parsley (Karpas) to represent new life, and that was to be dipped in the salt water which represented the tears we shed in life.  My children do not like regular parsley, for some reason, so I bought Italian parsley and thought it might be closer to what they grow in Israel.  We had a glass of grape juice (Welch's!) and a glass of water above each plate.  Oh yes, we had the above foods on the salad plate to the left of the main plate.  On the main plate we had the Matzoh cracker and a soup bowl with the Matzo ball soup in it.  Then, I was worried that they would still be hungry, so I made a large container of Pasta salad.  It was a vegetarian recipe which I got from a famous artist and his wife in Minneapolis when I was there.  It is a delicious blend of pasta, carrots, green and red peppers, olives, celery, and lots of interesting spices and lemon juice.  So, everyone could have that on their large plate after they finished the soup.
I told the children the meanings of things as we went along and did not do any formal reading as I have done in the past, and no, I did not read the ceremony from the booklet!  It is good to have, but perhaps another time it would be appropriate.  I know how Jesus felt about ceremonies, and so I wanted to move to the most important part of the evening, Remembering Jesus.  I had ask each of them to write down the gifts they had given Jesus in this past year and to share it with us, if they so desired.  On the day before Three grandchildren had come to stay all night and so we had done lots of activities with the three grandchildren that live close by.  On The morning of the 21st I had ask them to each think, that if it were Jesus's birthday what gifts would they be able to give him.  (J's birthday is on the 22nd!)  (I had a say in naming him, and I suggested Joshua, since that is Jesus's Hebrew name!  Jesus is the Greek way to say Joshua!)  Well, the children that can write - wrote down some of their gifts to Jesus and I read them at the dinner.  C had had a remarkable experience on the morning of the 21st.  She had lost her CTR- Choose The Right - Ring, and with Heavenly Father's help we were able to find it!  C wrote a wonderful "poem" to Jesus, and read that, in addition to her list of gifts!  It was wonderful.  Here is her poem:

Dear Jesus
What can I say?
To make you know how I feel.
You HELP me not to be scared.
And you help me not to be blue.
When tragedies' occur.
or when Adversities a blur.
You seem to make it clear.
You may not give us all the Answers
But instead help us along.
And even the way you assist my sister's
in the power to write a song!
In these ways I know
That a thank you isn't enough.
So I hope in the way I live my life
will show you that this is no bluff.
I LOVE you with all my HEART
And when I pray
I make it known.
For each time I close my eyes.
I alway's remember to say.
I LOVE you Heavenly Father,  (She put a heart in place of Love)
and JESUS CHRIST today...

Then J played a song she had composed on the guitar!   She is just beginning to learn to play the guitar, so it was a lovely gift!  The words were:

Oh my Lord, My Elder Brother, 
I look up to you
What can I say to convey
All that I feel 
I Love you
In your eyes I see Forever
In your life ETERNITY.

Then J sang those same words in Spanish.  Simple, but beautiful.   She shared some of her gifts and they were lovely.  Her friend, M had written his list and read it to us, and it too was very nice.  M said her gifts were personal, but she did say that she is grateful for her Family. I read my gifts that I had written on a steno book in Kahala Ward, and had not had time to re-write!  I had put the painting I painted of JESUS AND PETER at one end of the room, so that was one of my gifts.  
In the traditional Passover there is a setting for Elijah, so we put Elijah's plate at the foot of the table and one for JESUS at the head of the table, right by the painting of him!  So when we had the blessing on the food we invited Elijah, Jesus and Dad to come to be with us for this Remembrance Supper!   
J and M sang a song that M composed called, WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES.  It is a beauty!  They harmonize so well.  
It was a special evening of REMEMBRANCE!

By 2005 I began to see that I could have new meanings for the Passover tradition and printed the menu out with the meanings for the family to see while I talked to them about the new symbolism.

MARCH 20, 2005 SUNDAY
REMEMBERING OUR MASTER AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST
P A S S O V E R   M E N U
GRAPE JUICE -THE NEW WINE
Symbolizing God’s promises of deliverance to the promised land
It can remind us of how God gives us freeagency and we can choose Eternal Life
NEIDLACH - MATZO BALLS AND CHICKEN SOUP
All Jewish holidays and many Shabbat dinners start with chicken soup.
THREE MATZO CRACKERS
represents Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
It can remind us of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost - one in purpose
KARPAS:   CELERY, LETTUCE OR PARSLEY
Dipped into salt water to symbolize the growth of spring.
The salt water represents the tears shed by the enslaved Israelites
It can remind us that each day is a new day to live a good life and we can be grateful
At the same time remembering the past history of the Jews and
Jesus’ life on this earth
MAROR:   HORSERADISH - A BITTER HERB
It symbolizes the intense bitterness of slavery
It can also represent the tears one sheds when we do wrong and are in bondage to sin
CHAROSET:  WALNUTS, APPLES, CINNAMON AND HONEY
Symbolic of the mortar and bricks that the enslaved Jews used
to build the pharaohs’ cities and pyramids.
It can symbolize: Walnuts (Body), Apples ( Mind-Bearing good fruits), Honey, (The Spirit)
With the help of the Spirit we are held together to bear good fruits and be ‘fragrant’ as cinnamon!  We can build our ‘pyramids’ - our souls - as we live our lives
ZEROAH: TERRIAKI CHICKEN WING
Represents the Paschal lamb that was always sacrificed at the Temple
We can remember the great sacrifices of those in the past
Jesus Christ, the Prophets, and our Ancestors
BAYTZAH:  A NEW POTATO
The potato symbolized the saddness Jews feel for the loss of the Temple in Jerusalem
For us it can symbolize rebirth and renewal of life
and the joy we feel as we are born of the spirit and realize
that we are the temples of God and the spirit dwells in us.
We are children of our loving Father in Heaven
TZIMMES -VEGETABLE PANCAKES
A Yiddish word is synonymous with a complicated chore
SESAME CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM STUFFING
can remind us that the gospel enhances our lives and we are meant to have joy
OLIVES
The Olive tree symbolizes peace.  We can live peacefully in our families and our lives
WATER
To remember that Jesus said he is the Water of Life- Let His Spirit fill us always

By 2011 I had enlarged on some of the meanings and was serving Salmon as the main dish.  

APRIL 24, 2011 SUNDAY
REMEMBRANCE SUPPER FOR JESUS 
P A S S O V E R   M E N U

GRAPE JUICE -THE NEW WINE
Grapes freshly made into juice
Symbolizing God’s promises of deliverance to the promised land
It can remind us that God, our Heavenly Father, gives us LIFE and we can choose Eternal Life
NEIDLACH - MATZO BALLS AND CHICKEN SOUP
All Jewish holidays and many Shabbat dinners start with chicken soup.
THREE MATZO CRACKERS
Represents Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
It can remind us of Our Father in Heaven, The Son-Jesus Christ, and The Holy Ghost - One in purpose
KARPAS:   CELERY, LETTUCE OR PARSLEY
Dipped into salt water to symbolize the growth that happens in the spring.
The salt water represents the tears shed by the enslaved Israelites
Remember Jesus’ life and the Pioneers and our Ancestors who shed tears but 
Endured to the end - faithful to the Church of Jesus Christ - loving and serving others as Jesus taught 
It can remind us that even though there are trials and sorrow there is also joys and happiness when 
Through FAITH AND TRUST WE RELY ON JESUS CHRIST-his Spirit of Truth-his mind-his faith
The challenging elements visual aid
MAROR:   HORSERADISH - A BITTER HERB
It symbolizes the intense bitterness of slavery
It can remind us that we are only free and happy when we choose to do what is right
Addiction take away our freedom and make us slaves
CHAROSET:  WALNUTS, APPLES, CINNAMON AND HONEY
Symbolic of the mortar and bricks that the enslaved Jews used to build the pharaohs’ cities and pyramids.
It can symbolize: Walnuts (Body), Apples ( Mind-Bearing good fruits), Honey, (The Spirit)
With the help of the Spirit we are held together to bear good fruits and be ‘fragrant’ as cinnamon! 
 We can build our ‘pyramids’ - our Souls - as we live our lives
ZEROAH: CHICKEN
Represents the Paschal lamb that was always sacrificed at the Temple
We can remember the great physical sacrifices of those in the past
Jesus Christ, the Prophets, and our Ancestors who gave their will to doing our Father in Heaven’s WILL
Which is the only sacrifice we are to make
BAYTZAH:  A NEW POTATO
The potato symbolized the sadness Jews feel for the loss of the Temple in Jerusalem
For us it can symbolize rebirth and renewal of life
and the joy we feel as we are born of the spirit and realize
that we are the temples of God and the spirit dwells in us.
We are children of our loving Father in Heaven
TZIMMES -   (VEGETABLE PANCAKES)
VEGETABLE STIR FRY
A Yiddish word is synonymous with a complicated chore
We can remember that in every adversity, trial, challenge, problem it takes work to solve them
But, within the problem is always a gift of wisdom we receive
SALMON
Can remind us that the gospel enhances our lives and we are meant to have joy.
We can also remember that Jesus was well acquainted with fishing and eating fish
He wants us to be fishers of men and women, which means he wants us to share the Gospel with all we can
Through the lives we life and through our words
OLIVES
The Olive tree symbolizes peace.  We can live peacefully in our families and our lives
WATER
To remember that Jesus said he is the Water of Life- Let His Spirit fill us always.
He told the woman at the well that “whosoever drinks of the water of the living spirit shall never thirst.  And this living water shall become in him a well of refreshment springing up even to eternal life.”

Now I will share some photos of our Remembrance Supper's for Jesus

The only purchase I have ever made at Neiman and Marcus was these chargers for $17 dollars each.  I purchased them so we could enhance the beauty of our place settings for special dinners.