We did buy a little box of chocolate covered “sponge” on our way out. Some people call it “honeycomb”, I grew up calling it “seafoam”. I sometimes refer to it a “heaven.” …and I just realized how far I have veered off my purpose of this post… So, I looked up the history of chocolate on Wiki , and confirmed my fears: “It is believed that the English company, J. S. Fry & Sons made the first chocolate for eating in 1847″(source) Why does his matter? It matters because it means that Joseph Smith never got to eat a chocolate bar! He was killed in 1844. That is so wrong! After all the things that Joseph did for us, our faith, and the world, you would think he could have at least gotten the chance to enjoy a chocolate bar. (I hope you all know by now that I have a great love for the prophet Joseph, if not, please read this: (Previous post) ) This morning I had some quiet time, and my thoughts turned to Joseph’s lack of chocolate, and I started thinking, if I had the opportunity to give Joseph a candy bar, what would I choose? Would I go with a pure chocolate bar? MIlk or dark? Snickers? Ooh – Milky Way? Then my amazing brain began to pursue this idea further. If I could escort Joseph Smith around for a day, what would I do with him? It seemed easy at first. Then it got more complicated. Would keep him to myself and my immediate family? If it went public, that would be the end of the day – the media, the crowds, etc. So, I figured he could just hang with me and my family. Here are some things I would do, and would not do: I would: Buy him a candy bar. Let him drive my truck. In an empty parking lot. Take him for a ride on the freeway. (Me driving) Take him for a drive to see church buildings and temples. Have FHE. Even if its not a Monday. Show him the good and bad of the internet, and the latest news. Have him autograph my Triple Combination. Set up SKYPE call with President Monson – me included! Take him to see a 3-D movie, just to watch his reaction. Apologize a lot. For myself and society. Break out the BBQ ribs. Have him explain to me how the translation process worked. Sit and listen to him tell stories until he can’t talk anymore. Bring close friends and family together (and maybe the missionaries) and have a testimony meeting. Try my best to explain how grateful I am to him. I would not: Buy him a 44oz caffeinated beverage. Show him “The Work and the Glory” movies. Take him to the mall. Try and amaze him with my knowledge of the scriptures. Let him watch TV or listen to talk radio. Show him my garden. Ask him to do chores. Try and explain things like tattoos and piercings. Send SnapChat of him to my besties. Show him this post. Oh, and my answer to the orignal question is “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups”. But not the full size ones, the miniature ones wrapped n foil. (No, not the new tiny ones without wrappers)
I know I already presented the perfect list and choice, but now it’s your turn. If you could spend the day with the Prophet Joseph… – What would you do? – What would you NOT do? (How much of your family’s behavior would be vastly different from normal life?) – What candybar would you buy for him? (The obvious answer: “I would do whatever he wants to do” is unacceptable for this exercise. And boring. And won’t be posted) 
(This post was originally run on August 21, 2011, and has been re-posted at the request of the infamous Wendy Sayre. August 2011 was a long time ago!)
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If I could spend the day with Joseph Smith, I would take him to meet all of my children- even if we had to travel several hours. I would want them to meet him in person and I would ask him to bear his testimony to them and answer a few of their questions. I would like him to play with my grandchildren. I would feed him but wouldn’t worry about anything fancy or even worry about giving him chocolate. I would just like to sit with him and listen.
I just have to comment on the fact that you wouldn’t give him those DELICIOUS Reeese’s EGGS that only come out at Easter. I mean…if you are going to give Joseph Smith some peanut butter cups, MAKE IT THE BEST EVER!
Also, I’ve always said if I saw one of the Prophets and/or Apostles I would whip out my Conference Ensign and ask them to sign it 😀
I would gather as many of the youth in my ward and have the most awesome fireside that I, or any of us, would ever attend.
While serving a mission in South America, I once offered my Latin companion chocolate that I had received from home. I watched his face with anticipation as he took a bite of the sweetest treat he had ever had. I was stunned and disappointed when he grimaced and pronounced it, “Too rich!” I hope I’m not throwing a wet blanket on the fun but I suspect the Prophet’s taste buds would be poorly equipped to enjoy chocolate like we do. I’d take him to get an ice cream cone!
I love your list, but I gotta admit, I’d be pretty tempted to send a snapchat!!
Reese’s is a solid choice– of course the small ones! But I think I might pick peanut butter m&ms instead. Or just plain Hershey’s kisses. They’re the best.
I can’t think of anything better than showing him all the temples. Can you imagine how excited he’d be?! I’d also show him the ropes of ancestry.com. And maybe ask him about my ancestors that were lucky enough to know him. And I’d give him a tour of the conference center. And ask him what he really thinks of stakes participating in pioneer treks.
Then, I’d want him to tell me and my family the kind of things he used to tell him family as he was translating the Book of Mormon. They would have the original FHE as he’d explain how they lived, ate, worked etc. It would be awesome to have the scriptures come to life that way.
I would take him in an airplane and go back to Nauvoo with him. It would be amazing to walk those streets with him and hear different stories about life there. And then I would take him to the Fudge Factory 🙂
I find it interesting and love the fact that so many would like to take him to the temple. I have been pondering that because, while he didn’t physically get to experience all aspects of modern temples, I’m sure he is aware of all of them and has probably peeked in on a few of the ordinances from time to time. I think it is because we want to share something so profound and central to our lives with the one who was instrumental in making it possible. Then I would want to get all my family together and do what we do best-cook hot dogs and s’mores (there’s the chocolate) around the fire, tell him family stories, ask questions and laugh. I would ask him to tell us about Stephen Chadwick Perry, one of our ancestors. Then I would ask if he could leave us with a priesthood blessing. Oh and a picture.
I would embarrass myself by asking him too many questions, all about …everything. I’d have him try chocolate ice cream, in the form of a brownie sundae. And I’d definitely take him to the temple to enjoy the fulfillment of these blessings. I’d have him tell me his favorite hymns and listen to the Mo Tab. I’d probably cry when I tell him how much his courage and integrity have changed the world. And me. I’d definitely take a picture with him as I’d want to be able to share the experience with the kids when they’re older. I’d have him tell me more about how missionary work is done in the next world. I’d just want to get him talking and talking. I’d want to hug him. And have my family there to enjoy this with me. And I think he’d enjoy driving into the mountains to take a train ride in the crisp Washington State air.
Ooh I didn’t realise I’d gone on that long…your all glazed over…I see it…
Wow…I want to say all the lovely things that everyone has suggested but seriously I’d just wanna get the low down! In my day with him he would just say it as it really was….What really happened? How did a mere mortal man put up with it all and still stay strong…did he ever just wanna give up? What were his conversations with his wife like? How did she really feel? What would he do again differently if he had the chance? Was JS-H 1:25 the crux of how he felt and why he went through it all? (Yes it’s a dumb question but I wanna know). Why the secrecy about some things? Was it fear? Was it desperation that led him to look for gold? I just want the honest to goodness, non rose-coloured glasses story. Thorns and all…
I’m sick of people justifying his actions or making it sound better or worse than it was. I LOVE that he was a regular guy called to do an amazing work. I don’t think he would pretend otherwise…well I hope he wouldn’t. It was his humanness and the humanness of all of the Lord’s servants that gives me hope that there’s a chance for me.
Anyways…we’d probably do McD’s drive through if it was just me involved. I hate cooking! My hubby would stress all day and make sure we had a massive meal prepared for him. He’d make us all miserable stressing out over details like that when I’d just want to be gleaning all the info that I could…trying to feel what he felt and see what he saw…
He’d really need to taste quite a variety of chocolates…it would be only fair. I get him a box of Cadbury favourites and perhaps a whole heap of snack size bars…Whittakers would be on the list for sure. Also a friend of ours makes the most beautiful caramel cream pie…it’s a little slice of heaven. I might get some of that for him. Although if I got it the day before then I may not be able to handle not eating it…I’ll think about that one.
Definitely pics…it would be classic getting him to do the duckie lips while my daughter was in the background going “eww mum…you’re so embarrassing!” I think he’d get that and play along.
What wouldn’t I do….
Cook…
Go anywhere…we’d be yakking the whole day. He’s got eternity to go places. For that day he’s hangin with me. (Probably another reason I’m not gonna make it to the Celestial Kingdom…I’m very selfish).
Oh to dream…thx MMM for the chance to think big!
😉
We’re pretty boring around our house, so I don’t have any grand ideas of what to show him, but hopefully we would all have the day free from work to be able to listen to him as mentioned previously, and it would be awesome if all of the kids and extended family could join with us.
As for chocolate, I’d hate to overwhelm him with something big, but Dove Promises (both dark and milk) or Lindt Truffles are the best!
Sorry but I can’t stop thinking about this…I want to add one more (insert between my #8 and #9 above): I would take him to the beach with my family and let my husband and kids give him a surfing lesson! I think he would LOVE that!
If he came tomorrow . . . he would find us in Honduras, and there’s no way I couldn’t share him with every missionary that could travel to hear him speak. I would love for them to have a question / answer session with him, like many of the General Authorities do that visit. When we have our own time together with him, just my husband and I, I would love to hear his favorite scriptures from the Book of Mormon, and his thoughts about why they are his favorites. I would feed him peanut butter and jelly because we would be so busy listening to thoughts about the Book of Mormon . . . who would have time to cook. But we would have to finish the day with warm chocolate chip cookies and Breyers french vanilla ice cream. We would express our tremendous gratitude for the great gift of the restored gospel, for everything he went through to establish the church in the Latter-days. We would finish by asking him his advice for what we could do better to share the gospel and bring others to Christ, and how we can better prepare ourselves for the second coming of the Savior.
We certainly wouldn’t waste even a single moment. I guess I would probably leave the Diet Coke in the fridge . . . why stir things up? I wouldn’t turn on the television, or radio or social media (except maybe Skype!) sites.
That’s what we would do if the prophet came for a visit . . .
What a fantastic topic for discussion…thank you MMM!
I would (off the cuff): 1. Kneel at his feet and weep; 2. After regaining my composure, I would thank him for dedicating his whole life to bring the Gospel of Truth to this lone and dreary world; 3. I would ask him about premature babies who die, because he went through that, and even though I understand, intellectually, the glorious doctrine surrounding them, I want to know how he and Emma dealt with the pain–because my son/daughter-in-law who had that experience have divorced & left the church. 4. Gather my family (active & less-active, and Skype the far-away ones) and meet with him to ask for blessings, ask questions, and learn about all the cool stuff between the lines in the scriptures and beyond (i.e. creation vs evolution–for one of the less-active ones specifically)…and of course take breaks to play with the grandkids. 5. Take him to Rubios and have a fish taco for lunch, visit the San Diego Temple (which would include a ride along a freeway), and then to Islands for a burger afterward and a frozen yogurt.(sorry, no time to cook, I am a Mary, woefully not a Martha!) Oh, and Dove chocolate… 6. I would offer to give him a haircut, so I could keep a lock of his hair!! 7. I agree on taking photos and videos, these would be family treasures. 8. I would show him familysearch.org and lds.org. 9. If there was time I’d find a way to give him a plane ride, and I think he would also enjoy riding a horse if I could find one. I’d make sure he played with the dog.
I would not: 1. Turn on the TV, 2. Worry about cleaning ANYTHING, 3. take my eyes off him, 4. Interrupt him, 5. Let him drive. 6. Shush the kids.
I would take him to the Philadelphia, PA temple site and show him how cool it is that there will be a temple so close to where our country was born! And then we would just hang out with my family and have dinner and let the kids play and catch fireflies while we talk about the gospel and stuff.
I would not take him camping because that’s pretty much how he used to live. (Even though camping is AWESOME.)
I would probably give him Lindt chocolate truffles. Because those rock.
I thought then and I think now that you picked the best Reese’s. It has the best ratio of peanut butter to chocolate.
Or if he wanted to get colloquial he might just say: “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
There cannot be any joy or marvel here in even modern mortality that is not eclipsed by the Celestial. I cannot imagine that anything I could say show or offer to the Prophet could make an improvement on his character, so the whole notion of me teaching or entertaining him would be somewhat presumptuous. Kind of like if a semi tractor refrigerator trailer pulled up with samples of all the truly best chocolates in the world, and I were to say to the owner/driver “Here, have a bite of my Baby Ruth, it’s really good.” He might try it out of kindness, then charitably (stifling a yawn) say “That’s really, um… Interesting.”
Interesting assumption that he has been judged, resurrected and is in the Celestial Kingdom already. Any support for that theory?
Questions first: I would ask 1. How much of your time will I have? 2. Can/will you talk to me for that entire duration, on whatever you are inspired to touch upon? 3. Will you EITHER give me a blessing that I will remember verbatim everything you say OR allow me to make a video with audio of your discourse? Assuming affirmative responses, then I would shut up and start listening, praying that I could comprehend all that he would say, not be crushed by any of it, and be capable thereafter of passing it along effectively to all the FOML. I doubt he is unaware of anything I could show him, and doubt that anything he would taste here could compare with what he tastes in the Celestial Kingdom. There cannot be any chefs or chocolatiers there who are not vastly superior to those still in mortality, and since he is there with the source of all light and knowledge, all that our engineers have comeup with must certainly seem rather primitive in comparison to what is commonly understood there.
If I could spend the day with Joseph I would:
1. Take him to the Temple with my EC and I.
2. Make him my homemade tamales and green chile smothered bean burritos for dinner.
3. Take him for a plane ride.
4. Talk to him about his experiences.
5. Because he is human, I’d ask him what he would’ve done differently, if anything.
6. Definitely a stick pulling contest!
7. I would ask him to bless each of my children, and especially my EC.
8. I would share my testimony with him.
9. Most importantly, I would thank him for entering the grove that day and asking of God which church to join.
What I would NOT do:
1. Tell a single soul. (Unless he asked me to.)
What kind of candy bar would I give him? A Baby Ruth.
Of course, this is after I pick up my jaw off the floor and being extremely humbled that he chose me to spend the day with!
To add to your excellent list I think I would gather my family and friends and ask if he would be willing to share the first vision with us in person..share how grateful I am for his faith and his life.
Definitely allow small samplings of chocolate, because he would need to try a whole bunch, and make sure there is chocolate made from Criollo beans in there, and teach him the proper savouring and swirling/melting method for dark chocolate to get the whole bouquet of flavours in it. I’m hungry.
Comment sent to me by a person requesting anonymity:
“Didn’t want to post publicly but I would take Joseph to meet with my 4 (out of 5) children that have left the faith. They have left because of personal unfaithfulness but have faked themselves into thinking it is because the church is not true. I would hope he could reach them where I have not been able to.”
Neither my wife nor I likes chocolate. Does that make us heathens or apostates? I would probably get him a Payday or some taffy.
I would ask him to talk about (and sing) his favorite hymns. I work in IT, so I would show him some of the amazing things that can be done with technology, including family history work. I would browse through the LDS Temples site and show him how the work has expanded. I would probably ask him about his experiences with one of my favorite Church historical figures, Dan Brown. I would ask him to talk with my children and play with our dog. I would show off the wonders of air conditioning and refrigeration, and ask to make his favorite meal for him. Time permitting, I might drive him to the Kansas City Temple, and would offer to show him the visitor center built around Liberty Jail. I would share with him the song I wrote while pondering his experiences there. I would like to know more about him as a person, and would encourage him to share as much as he could about himself.
Ditto here- I have never liked chocolate- my roommates joked that I couldn’t make it to the celestial kingdom without it. I haven’t had much chance to think about it, but he’d probably get a kick out of RC cars and helicopters. I’d probably let him ask/try out 1 thing then me ask one thing…back and forth, while the (electric!!) ice cream maker was churning some dessert for us.
your to do list but would add give blessings to myself and my boys. ( and my house). I would ask him to tell my husband how I am right about the church. (J/k kinda). I also like the “not” list although I thought it said mail not mall :). I can’t really think of anything on a not list. But some will come as I ponder this more.
I would ask him how to receive answers to prayer and how to discern inspiration. He was an expert.
I would give him some of my dark choco brownies:)
Would a selfie with the Prophet be a bit too much? We don’t really have any great pictures of him after all.
I would thank him for all he did for this dispensation and all of mankind.
I would show him a modern sewing machine so he could tell Emma all about it.
I would take him the the Columbus Ohio Temple. He would probably wonder why he didn’t think of a smaller temple and why Heavenly Father had him build such large ones.
I would ask him to teach the gospel and bear his testimony to my living family members who (aren’t there yet).
I would take him by airplane to anyplace he wanted to go.
Lindor Balls!! The ultimate in chocolate nirvana right there!! His mouth would think it was in the Celestial Kingdom. Oh, and Cerretta’s Mint Truffles. Another heavenly concoction.
I’d take him to one of my favorite places in the world, the Gilbert Temple. It’s like visiting heaven and part of it travels home with me every time I’ve spent time there. After showing him around and introducing him to some of the most angelic people I’ve ever known who work there, we’d hang out in the celestial room. I’ve got some questions that would be amazing to hear his answers on and that’s a profound place of revelation. It could be epic.
Then we’d head over to my house with my sweet husband, kids and babygrands for a family dinner of Salmon and the works. I’d love to share with him the ultimate joy I know in life and my family is it!
I love this! Let’s see…off the cuff, I’d have to say…
I would:
Take him through the temple. And not just an endowment session; we’d do it all – baptisms, sealings, initiories, and endowments. So that would take up the whole morning. (I’m assuming he wouldn’t have a temple recommend on hand though – but there’s got to be something in the handbook for a situation like this, right?!)
Set up several skype sessions – Pres. Monson, of course. And then with a few people who have been very influential in my journey through the gospel; you know, as a sort of ‘thank you’ gesture to them.
Let him drive in an empty parking lot. And drive him down the freeway.
Have him watch the nightly news.
Have an FHE/q&a
I would not:
Take him to a million restaurants. I don’t want to overload him and make him sick or waste the whole day focusing on food.
As for the chocolate bar, I’d start off simple with a Dove Dark Chocolate bar (he strikes me as a dark chocolate kind of guy). Then we could move onto more complex flavor combinations if he was interested.
My initial comment is Awesome! But I’m soon to be driving and need to think about this before I really respond! You Rock MMM!
If I could spend the day with Joseph Smith, I would ask him to teach me and talk to me about the Savior. What was it like to see him? To be His prophet called to restore the church? I would want to hear his testimony again – this time from him directly. I would share with him my testimony of the Savior and of him as a prophet of the Lord and tell him there are millions of people on the earth with that same testimony burning in their hearts (even though he probably already knows that). I would ask him how he dealt with the opposition on a personal level – not just holding true to the faith, but how do you keep it from breaking your heart when it’s from people you know and love? I would talk to him about the events of our day – good and bad – and how they are part of the prophesies that must be fulfilled prior to the second coming.
Oh, and I would bake him a strawberry rhubarb pie and have him try Dove Dark Chocolate.
In addition to all of your excellent ideas, I would watch a recorded performance by the Tabernacle Choir. I would not let him see daily news reports.
As for chocolate, I’d have to go with Cadbury dark AND Cadbury mini eggs.
what an awesome idea! If I could spend the day with Prophet Joseph Smith, I would:
…ask him for a blessing! (I miss having the Priesthood in my home).
…have him celebrate Taco Tuesday with us (even if it’s not a Tuesday)
…assuming, since we’re imagining anyway, that travel, distance & expense are not factors, I would take him to see the Tabernacle to HEAR THE MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR!!
…call my ex (who is also LDS) and let them chat for a little bit
I would not:
…let my Episcopalian husband bug him too much!
…make him separate the recyclables!
…force him to sit through my piano or voice lessons (but I would introduce him to my students 😀 )
…take him to see “The Book of Mormon” 🙁 the bits I’ve seen are sometimes funny, but I wouldn’t want to waste my time with him on anything that “iffy” and irreverent
I haven’t had Lynn’s Ghirardelli Dark “Sea Salt Soiree” but that sounds so good! I would definitely buy him dark chocolate, even though it’s an acquired taste, because I think the point of the exercise is to share a little of who I am and I like dark chocolate!
No wait! Lindt truffles!!!
I almost went with Lindt! They are soooo good!
I would take him to all of my non-member friends and family and have him share his testimony. I would thank him sincerely for all he sacrificed so that people like me could experience the joy the gospel can bring into a persons life. I would then take him out for Mexican, but I wouldn’t let him eat a jalapeño. (Unless he asked, then maybe) You gotta work into those things. Finally, Id give him a Symphony bar. (mmmm with toffee chunks)
Do: have him play the stick pull with all my kids and have him teach them other of his favorite games and then have my kids teach him one or two of their favorite games. I would probably go for a drive with just him and me and my EC and get some advice from him on marriage and parenting. I would ask him what it was like in the Spirit world and ask him what things we can do to help prepare for the second coming. I would tell him how much I love him and appreciate him and have a singing time with him and my family at the piano where we all sing hymns and fun songs together.
Not Do: take any pics with him…because why? Too show off later??’. Ask him about polygamy or what it felt like to be tarred and feathered. Waste any time on the internet or watching movies. Take him out to eat anywhere (I would have prepared a homemade meal of BBQ pork spare ribs beforehand). Ask him to spend time exercising on a long jog or run or doing Zumba. Have him help me to match socks.
Chocolate: York peppermint patty
Well, actually I would DEFINITELY take a “selfie” with him, and also many other pictures! I would want to take him to the church history museum to see all his old stuff. And I would take him on a tour of Salt Lake City because I think he really did want to see it, but didn’t live long enough.
I would NOT turn on the television….waste of his time.
I think I would probably just get him a simple chocolate bar, and then let him work his way up to the fancy stuff. Let him experience the pure joy of simple chocolate first.
Don’t you just hate those type o’s! “Thank you” for all the good you do!
Just read, “Hero’s.” All I can say Is, “Wow!” I too have been to all those beautiful Church historical sites you mentioned and Identify with those feelings.
“What would I do and Not do,” will have to give some thought. 🙂
Thanks you for all the good you do. Love feeling the sweet Spirit when visiting this blog.
I would thank him for translating the Book of Mormon. I would Skype with one of my kids in the hope that Joseph could persuade her that she is deceived, and to not continue with transgendering. I would give him a pomegranate from one of Mert’s bushes. I would let him pick something pretty from my yarn stash to take Home to Emma. Even the red silk lace weight. I would take him to the Dallas temple. I would take him for aguacate tortas at a little hole in the wall in Fort Worth. And lobster bisque at Lucile’s. And chicken fried steak at Star Cafe in the FW Stockyards. (Nobody goes hungry on my watch.) I would tell him how I felt when I was baptized, and when my children were born in the covenant, and when I was sealed to Mert. Cook Children’s Hospital, which saved the life of my youngest.
I would not: ask him to help me put down the new flooring in the dining room. Bug him about when the Savior is coming back for good. Make him a green smoothie. (I like them. His mileage might vary.) Take him to the gym with me. The immodest of what some of the fitness pros wear would sadden him. And a lot of the women there are “enhanced”. I don’t want to have to explain implants to him.
Ghirardelli Dark “Sea Salt Soiree”.
I would take him to the temple so he could see what I feel is the culmination of his work.
I’m probably going to wish I had thought about this some more…
I really like a lot of your list for the woulds… I would probably add that I would bake him a pie or German Chocolate Cake – because he probably never had that before and that is just not right! I would also want to sit and listen to him talk about whatever he wanted to talk about and like I said everything on your list but I probably wouldn’t take him driving – I don’t want to scare the man! I would take him to my favorite local mexican restaurant and let him try some of my family’s favorites and then to a great little Thai place too… I think he would really like this curry dish and the Tom Kha Gai soup.. yum. Oh and how could I forget I would give him some wonderful oranges from the trees in my backyard!
I like your “not” list too. I can’t stand the mall. I would not pick my nose while with him. I would not complain or whine about anything. I would not interrupt him.
As far as candy bar I think that would either have to be an Almond Joy, Snickers with Almonds or a Mr. Goodbar. (I really hope he likes coconut, I’d be a little let down if he didn’t 😉 )