I’ve been typing my Grandpa’s mission journal for like 5 years now. Actually if I’m being honest, I typed it for 6 months, then I watched it gather dust on my bookshelf through 3 moves and 4 more years. I’ve been working on it again for the past 6 months and it has been the source of much guilt, grief, and pain joy and peace.
OK, honestly, for the most part it’s kinda boring. A travelogue full names of people and places that I really don’t know anything about. My grandpa’s old, so he wrote this journal back before it was cool and appropriate to “share your feelings” and stuff. He doesn’t say much about what he thinks, and there aren’t many details about what is actually happening in the mission. It’s more like “tonight we taught 3 discussions and stayed with the Brown’s.” “Spent the morning packing, cleaning, and driving the Ford 160 miles to _____ . Ford required new tires which cost $2.40” It’s kinda interesting, but not really enthralling. Not the kind of thing I can’t WAIT to get to when I get home. More the kind of thing I force myself to do so I can be done with it and he can have something cool and I can get back to wandering temple square on my lunch break.
But every once in a while I catch tiny tidbits of the juicy stuff. I know there’s a lot more he isn’t saying, but I’m reading between the lines. Mrs. Sellers, if you’re reading this, I hate to break it to you, but Elder Fugal totally thought you were a quack back in February of 1944. I know because he said “….then visited Mrs. Sellers – who, by the way, wanted Bro. Cloud to preach a funeral sermon for her dog – Robert Allen Sellers – which dog she said “was part of me”. Glad to get away…..”
Speaking of funerals for dogs, I watched Marley & Me last night, and I bawled my eyes out and loved every second of it. If you’re sensitive about wordly things (mom…..) don’t watch it, because it is a movie made in 2009 and it has “that one scene”…..and plenty of innuendos….but if you’re dead inside and have no concept of what is inappropriate and what isn’t because you were raised in the same hooligan generation I was, I recommend it. I laughed, and cried, and fell in love with the characters. I’m a fan.
Ha Ha! Can't wait to watch Marley and Me and become horribly offended at the one scene. I can remember book club in my past ward and there were some that got offended so easily. Once I had read Twilight I didn't even DARE suggest it. The horror!
ReplyDeleteDid we ever find out if Mrs. Sellers became converted and became a whole new kind of crazy?!?!
You'll be so glad you typed those journals! I typed some of my Great Grandma's journals...and while most days were "laundry and dishes", some days were the birth of my mother and pearl harbor. Priceless!
ReplyDeleteI haven't found out yet - you'll have to wait in suspense until I get around to something else happening with her....Somehow I doubt they invested enough time to convert her.... :)
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