My talk is on........this piece of paper

Let's see, laundry, family, work, meals, dishes, let the dog in, let the dog out, family, shopping, laundry, work, knitting...........  Oh yeah!  Here's a bright shining nugget of chagrin-


My assignment:  a talk in church on "serving the poor and needy" with at least 40% of the talk consisting of personal examples.  Yes, you heard me right.  The other 2 members of the old RS Presidency didn't get their assignments worded like that, so I called BACK and verified, and yes, I had heard  correctly.  So I dithered around with that for awhile, but when I finally got down to it, I felt like the talk really wrote itself; I got the "flow", and I felt really good about it.  I was a little stoked to give my talk, which didn't totally offset the actual "giving a talk" clammy nausea and such, but still.


So, among other things, I told a lovely story where my mother was a wonderful example of service to the poor and needy for me by inviting a smelly homeless man into our home to shower and sent him away with some of my Dad's clothes.  Because she felt good about it.  Like the spirit let her know it would be ok.  I remember this!   I've been telling this story for years to illustrate listening to the spirit.   Except....... when I was sharing my (successful!  spiritual!  totally not too long or short!) talk with Mom over the phone afterward, she had to regretfully inform me I had it all wrong, as in: there were 3 or 4 men on the sidewalk, and 1 of them asked if his Dad, who had messed himself could come in and shower, and she DID NOT feel good about it, so she gave them some of my Dad's clothes and told them they could use the hose outside.


Yeah.  I totally pulled  a Paul H. Dunn!


Now I have to view my own stories and personal (version of my)  history with suspicion. 
What the heck else have I invented?
Why can I only still remember MY version of the story? 
What's more real in the end, what actually happened or what you think you remember? 
So did I feel the spirit or just invent THAT too? 
Isn't this just the perfect testimony about keeping a journal or what!  


Well, I do know: Brains and memory are wierd; mine plenty so.  I know from having OCD that my brain is SUCH a liar, so I guess I shouldn't be so dismayed here.  (But I am) Also, the Lord works with what he's got, namely us, the weak things, and he's in the process of making us stronger, so theres that. 
One moral of the story: Do a fact check BEFORE you give your talk. (Actually, I had called Mom before church to see if she had anything to add, but she was in meetings herself, and when she called back, I was in the shower, and Ethan took the call......)


Since this is what currently passes for my journal, photo album AND communication with others who are interested enough to read here (bless you!)  I thought I should write it down.