The worth of a soul and a delicious Avocado salad

"Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God." Doctrine and Covenants 18:10

"You can be excellent in every way. You can be first class. There is no need for you to be a scrub. Respect yourself. Do not feel sorry for yourself. Do not dwell on unkind things others may say about you. Polish and refine whatever talents the Lord has given you. Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, with great and strong purpose in your heart. Love life and look for it's opportunities, and forever and always be loyal to the Church." ~President Gordon B Hinckley

I love the words of the scriptures and of President Hinkley. They remind me every day of my life how very important I truly am. It's hard to believe I know, but . . . most of my life I felt very unloved and unworthy. I felt like a nobody. I was unhappy and I felt all alone. I knew that there was joy out there, because I was surrounded by seemingly happy people, but I didn' t know how to find it for myself. I felt totally bereft and like I had nowhere to turn, and nobody to turn to.



I struggled through life with five children, and all their demands . . . and a husband who really could not have cared less about me. I felt worthless and unimportant. I felt stupid . . . and then . . . a precious knowledge was given to me that completely turned my life around.

I learned who I was.



I was the daughter of a Heavenly Father. For sure, I had known God existed all that time. It was not news to me that He was there. It was news to me that He was MY father and that He cared about ME, and that He loved ME. This was something new and precious that I had not known before. You cannot imagine the difference it makes in your life to know this. I cannot find the words to really express it and to show you, but, I can tell you about the difference it's made in my life and the great change it has wrought.

Knowledge . . . the fact or state of knowing; the perception of fact or truth; clear and certain mental apprehension.



I live each day now with purpose and with joy. A great weight has been lifted from off of my shoulders and a heavy stone has been removed from my heart. I am the same person that I always was, but I see things in a different light now. This knowledge has given me new life and a reason for being. I am a daughter of God, and He has placed a piece of Himself in me . . . my soul. Your soul is the very essence of your being. It is the driving force behind who you are and who you can become. What a difference it makes to know with a surety that the "Divine" resides within you . . .

I look around me and I see many people that are in the same place that I once was. They act in ways that are unbecoming to a child of God. They strike out at the world and at others. They are angry and hurt and bereft . . . they search for something to fill this empty hole that they feel inside, and they try to fill it up with worldly things . . . with money, with sex, with drugs, with countless other things that are meaningless and worthless in the long run. They may feel happy for a short time . . . but it is a hollow happiness, and it doesn't last. They feel no joy. There is a difference between feeling happy and feeling joy you know. Happiness is fleeting at best, and only temporary . . . joy, true joy . . . lasts forever.



I wish I could show them this precious knowledge I have, and that they could take it in and know it for themselves, just who they really are. It is a knowledge that is wonderfully life transforming . . .

God is Love. We are all His children. He cares about each one of us with a true and perfect love. It is not false. It does not die. It will not fade away with time. It does not hurt or maim or destroy. It empowers and lifts us up, carrying us up to places we never thought we could go. It enables us to be the very best that we can possibly be. We only have to see that it's there and accept it for our own. It's a love that's universal and for everyone, without the barriers of religion or race or sexuality. You won't find it in a building or in a group of people. It's already there in your heart, in your soul . . . where it resides . . . Seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you.



The flavours of this lovely salad can instantly transport you to a sunny beach side cafe in the Mediterranean. Maybe that's just my imagination running away with me . . . but try it . . . what have you got to lose? Adapted from the book *Kitchen Suppers* by Laura Washburn.

*Bacon, Avocado and Feta Salad*
Serves 4

I often serve this salad on it's own for a lovely lunch or as a first course starter when we are entertaining. It's beautiful to look at, tastes wonderful and, if you assemble all the ingredients ahead of time a cinch and very quickly put together.

16 slices of streaky bacon
300g mixed salad leaves, washed and dried
3 ripe Haas avocados, peeled and sliced
4 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
200g of good feta cheese
a large handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
a large handful of fresh coriander leaves, coarsely chopped (cilantro)
freshly ground black pepper

DRESSING:
4 TBS good wine vinegar
1/2 tsp sea salt, rubbed until fine
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
174ml of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp of sugar

Grill the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper kitchen toweling to remove all the grease. Set aside.

Make the dressing by putting the vinegar in a small bowl. Add the salt and sugar, and stir until it is dissolved. Whisk in the mustard. Begin to whisk in the olive oil, one TBS at a time. You may not need it all. Taste periodically and continue to add until it is no longer sharp.

Put the salad leaves into a large bowl. Add a bit of the salad dressing, just to lightly coat them. (You should NOT use it all, reserve the larger part for later) They should not be sodden with it. Toss lightly with your hands. Divide between 4 chilled plates.

Cut each slice of bacon into 2 inch pieces and divide it amongst the plates. Slice the avocado and divide it amongst the plates equally, along with the sliced tomatoes. Crumble the feta cheese and scatter it evenly over top of each. Sprinkle with the chopped herbs. Drizzle with a bit of the remaining dressing and top off with a generous grinding of the black pepper. Serve.