When I was a kid, you knew you were eating fancy when there was some parsley on the plate. Just a little touch of green garnish to brighten things up. You don’t see that as much anymore. Every single time one of us would ask my dad why there was parsley on the plate, he would tell us that it was for decoration, and try to get us to eat some. He claimed that it would make our breath fresh. It was nasty.
To me growing up, garnish = parsley.
There is one very important scripture that uses the term garnish: D&C 121:45. The fact that it is in Section 121 makes it an important word. (The revealed word doesn’t get any better that Section 121.) Here is the verse:
“Let they bowels be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distill upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.”
But “garnish?” I don’t think so. Decorating my thoughts with virtue? I would hope that virtue can do more than that for me. I have heard it explained many different ways, some hearkening back to Old English, but none of the explanations haven’t done much for me.
Since I don’t like the use of the word “garnish” in this scripture as I grew to understand it, I was happy to find a better, different way to read it. (This was not my idea, but I can’t remember where I heard it. And if you already knew this, then you are smarter than me.)
Have you ever heard about someone owing back taxes, or child support, or a fine, and the IRS or the Court decided that they were going to take possession of the debtors money? That is called a “garnishment.” As in “they are going to garnish his wages.” If your wages get garnished, someone else takes possession or control of your money.
I like that a lot better. Let Virtue garnish my thoughts. I don’t need Virtue to decorate my thoughts. I need Virtue to take control of my thoughts.
In D&C 88:40, it says that “virtue loveth virtue,”
But I don’t love parsley.
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I think of garnishing with virtue like praying always, no matter what you are thinking about there is virtue keeping it clean in there all the time, the same as there is also a prayer in your heart. You may or may not be focusing on it.
It is nice to be hearing other perspectives, we didn’t have this many good ideas when we were last discussing this in Young Women in my ward.
I love the castle analogy! I looked up garnish in a dictionary and the origin says from Middle English to ‘equip or arm’. We equip or arm our thoughts with virtue.
Well, I actually like BOTH concepts because using garnish as a concept of adding a decoration means you are adding something more to your plate to bring about beauty. To decorate in my mind means to beautify and to have things placed around your home to bring joy, enlightenment, and a feeling of “home”. If I am garnishing my thoughts, I am daily adding thoughts of virtue sprinkled in my thinking adding that beauty and touch of goodness.
To me they both have great depth and meaning. Thanks for another great one!
Just a thought–I doubt Joseph Smith was ever served an extraneous piece of parsley or orange slice. 🙂 Another alternative for “garnish” might have to do with a mostly archaic meaning that was more common in the early 1800s. You know the battlements on the top walls of a castle (if your child draws a castle, they’re the immediate tip-off that this is no ordinary building–they’re the alternating spaces at the top of the wall, more or less). A castle is often described as being garnished with battlements (if you read ancient literature, like Le Morte d’Arthur, etc). Those battlements were not there to look pretty–they were built especially for defense. I like the idea of Virtue standing behind the battlements of my castle, armed with a cross-bow (and potentially some hot boiling oil) protecting and defending my thoughts from marauding armies.
Very cool way of looking at it. Words are so powerful.
Very cool way of looking at it. Words are so powerful.
Amen . . . just . . . amen . . .
Hey MMM … it’s been a while. Good “food” for thought 🙂
Is this a repost? Tasted good the first time I heard it too…where ever it was that I heard it.
Is this a repost? Tasted good the first time I heard it too…where ever it was that I heard it.
May virtue always take control of my thoughts too. Thank you, MMM.
I must note that parsley is very good chopped finely and simmered in soups and stews. Christy, use that herb from your garden in your cooking and be sure to dry some for use this winter in all those cold-weather foods.
Parsley tastes like leaves. I always skip it in recipes. However, for some unknown reason I planted it in my garden this year. I know that’s not the point of this post, but I got distracted by the garnish.
I had always thought of it as an accompaniment (the way parsley accompanied EVERY dish at the Morris Center when I lived in Deseret Towers at BYU…). If virtue accompanies my every thought, then that would be a good thing.
But, I like control, too…
Huge “Aha!” moment for me today. Thank you for the insight. From now on, every time I eat (or rather, look at) parsley, my thoughts will instantly become more virtuous
Do you think on really, really busy days, that reading MMM could count for reading/studying the scriptures?! Hmmmmm… I love deciphering scriptural terms!!! And Vatermann – “Food” for thought. Punny.
🙂
I feel like I just got some ancent LDS Jedi wisdom from a baccon loving Mormon Yoda.
Thank you – I can think of no higher praise. (FYI: I am much taller)
I would have also expected, “and better looking.
Garnish my thoughts please Lord
Food for thought.
I like this post.
I like Parsley a little.
I like Virtue a lot.
I really like Virtuous people.
and your blogs.