WENDY, MISSIONARIES, LETTERS, GENEALOGY

Here's a gratitude thingy.

My mother, who's 90, decided that she wanted to write the full-time missionaries from her church. She was told that she didn't have to, but she insisted. She used to do this when she lived in Florida when she was in her 70s and early 80s and she enjoyed it. The missionaries would return, thank her, and she had the pleasure of watching them marry and begin to raise families. So, she thought she would do it again. Only this time, she's not just writing the 3-5 missionaries in her ward or congregation, noooo....this go-round, she's writing every full-time missionary in her stake. I believe the number is up to 22 or 23. She's writing them every month. Bravo, Wendy...Bravo!

She called me the other day and said, "My handwriting isn't as good as it used to be. If I dictate my letter over the phone, could you type it and send it to Tiffany for me? She'll print out the copies and help me put them in envelops and stamp them." I couldn't agree fast enough. I would love to be a part of this process, are you kidding me?

So here's what Mom is doing. She's giving the missionaries little portions of her life story, which I personally find fascinating. She was raised in very rural, southern Ohio-in the hills and hollers-by devout farmers and miners. In fact, it is thought that her "people" were connected with Sidney Rigdon's church that was started by his followers. When she joined the LDS Church in her 70s, she said, "I know all of this. This is familiar. This is how I was raised". Her conversion was pretty easy.

Anyway, she spoke about her grandparents and great grandparents. Her memory is incredible when it comes to people born in the early to mid 1800s and their stories. No wonder her mission on earth is genealogy, right? As Emmy says, "Raise your hand if you know the baptismal date of your second cousin! My Grandma does!"

I thought the cutest thing was how she signed off. At the bottom of her letter, after her signature was this:

Next month: The log house and the Great Depression!

I can't wait...