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