Two Sons' Thoughts

From Steven (Monday Oct 1, 2012)

 That absentee ballot has quite a story to tell, I think is a keepsake if we have not returned and not required to return.  It is another tribute to Mother a memory to not be forgotten, she has stage 4 lymphoma to weak to stand up and she is thinking about.... to me that is remarkable, I hope you never catch me missing an election.

John (Oct 5, 2012)

Our mother was a mother of honor, a person who always sought to do the right thing. She insisted her tithing be paid. She raised us as church-goers. She spoke well of neighbors and valued their friendships. Her hobbies were noble, including genealogy. She was a conscientious voter. She did not believe in debt and did believe in being honest in financial dealings with others, paying them fully. She was not a feuder, but a friend to others.

If I were to contribute one memory, it would be of an offer to join, or to audition in hopes of joining the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It would have required her to stay in Salt Lake City for the six-months (or however long) duration of her membership. She let that opportunity go. That she spoke so little of it tells us much about her, and about her humility. Bless her. We were blessed with a great mother.

Cleaning house while kids are growing is like shoveling snow while it's snowing

Mary (9/20/12) I remember my mother trying to have a clean and shinning living room floor.  She would mop and wax it and then get dismayed when her children would run inside and then outside all day long tracking dirt in on her clean floor. I remember when she had what she thought was a good idea.  She wanted the floor to remain clean for at least a while after some of her moppings and waxings so she moved the couches back to give us one section of the floor to use so the major part of the floor would remain clean and shinning.  But I remember this didn't last long, she gave up and the couches were moved back and we had full access to the floor.  One thing kind of special is that she let us shine the floor up by sliding all over it with our stocking feet.

Gladys' memories!

I am the youngest of the five daughters, and fifteen years younger than LaRee - so by the time I was old enough to remember family members, LaRee was a career girl in the big city of Los Angeles.  I knew there was someone important in the family circle because of the excitement when a letter came in the mail.  Then, on one summer visit LaRee brought a portrait of herself - posed in the classic style, wearing the black dress and a string of pearls - the career girl uniform!  That portrait of LaRee held a pride of place on the upright piano.

On one summer visit our father took "his girls" on a picnic in a nearby mountain park. I treasure the picture of the oldest daughter, LaRee and the youngest daughter who was me, together.  LaRee all properly dressed - city style for the country, hair in place and me freckled, pigtails and gap toothed.

I have a sense that LaRee was always "a little mother" - pictures of the older children taken when they were toddlers or very young show LaRee holding her younger siblings Dale and Betty in place - in my mind LaRee feels responsible for holding them still & facing the camera - and these pictures were taken in the days before flash cameras, so that was a responsibility for a small child. 

Our mother told the story of not being able to find the car keys for our car and hunting high and low for the keys, as Mama said, and then mentioned in LaRee's hearing of not being able to find the keys after looking so thoroughly for them.  LaRee told her mother she knew where the car keys were, and went out to a shed, climbed up to a high shelf and retrieved the keys, telling Mama she had put the keys there so Dale wouldn't find them and lose them. 

LaRee and I developed a closeness later in our lives, after Lafe died and she didn't have the home responsibilities she would have had otherwise.  LaRee had to buy a new car and one of the prizes for doing so was a free trip for two to anywhere in the continental United States.  Not wanting to choose between her children, and perhaps making them think she favored one over the other - she chose me to accompany her.  So, we went to Atlanta Georgia and went to the temple!  LaRee, Susan and I took a road trip in 2004 back to Nauvoo and not using the interstate highways.  I believe we stopped at every museum between Denver and Nauvoo!  In some of places we stopped, people would assume LaRee was my mother and Susan was my daughter [which may have bothered Susan more than it did me!].

 I think the scripture "who can find a virtuous woman* - - and the story of Naomi & Ruth are a reminder of LaRee.**

*Proverbs 31:10-28 

**The Book of Ruth in the Old Testament