the parable of the perfect mallow

last week, Lindy was totally awesome and had a bunch of us over for Pizza and Smores...Marilee said I should write a post about how to roast the perfect marshmellow... I was thinking about it, and realized that achieving the perfect crunchy, golden brown exterior with a mind bogglingly smooth interior, is alot like going through life... as children, we get overly excited, we tend to burn our mallow by placing it directly over the flame in hopes that it'll be golden quicker ...sometimes it may even start on fire, (and then comes what I like to call the "put out the fire dance.") sometimes the poor mallow is too charred to even get eaten and gets tossed by the wayside. as we become teenagers, our patience is a little bit more developed, and we tend more toward the hot coal side of the fire pit, but at times, we feel like being cool, showing off, by purposely starting a fire with a perfectly yummy mallow. (yes, we know now that firey mallows are not in fact cool, but really lame.) we get older, we become the parent (or in my case, the Aunite) and we prove to ourselves that we do infact have the patience, the desire, the need even to roast the perfect marshmellow... we sit around the flame, chatting, laughing, having a great time while holding the roasting stick that is suspending that delicate peice of goodness over the coals, we watch as the kids burn mallow after mallow, laughing with them the whole time, encouraging them, helping them and finally, just when you know your mallow is perfect, you sandwich it between chocolate and cookies, you make a mess, you grin from ear to ear, you laugh as the gooey deliciousness melts the chocolate onto your hand, and you lick it up. for that small moment, you are a child again, happy, content, smiling and free. think about it like this, as we grow up, we all have our moments of impatience. we want that mallow NOW. we want perfection NOW. we want someone to love NOW. we want results, and we want them NOW. we grow a little older, and while we still have our moments of anger, impatience and trying to be someone we're not, we're getting a little bit better, holding out for something better, growing stronger with every passing moment. then, one day, we wake up and realize something. we know that perfection is out there, but we also understand that perfection is not something that comes at the drop of a pin, with the opening of a soda can (though I think I've found perfection with every Orange Cream Soda I drink...) or even in the blink of an eye. Perfection is a mighty goal, the most difficult task we are asked undertake. Perfection. say it out loud, Perfection. how daunting and unattainable does it sound? we might have our days, the ones where nothing goes right, the ones that make us want to give up the fight. I am learning that with a little bit of patience, willingness to serve and faith in the Plan, I'll get there. my Savior will give what I cannot, if I give my all, He will make up the rest. someday, I'm gonna be the perfectly roasted mallow. the melty goodness between cookies and chocolate. I can do it. so can you. and when we're there, I'm sure we'll be enjoying that same sense of wonder, happiness, contentment, freedom and I have a sneaky suspicion, that we're all gonna be smiling from ear to ear :)