And So It Begins

My inquiring mind wanted to know all about Julie so I asked for an Ask Julie Day.

I asked a dozen questions, and loved reading her answers, but now the inquisitive spotlight has been turned toward me. Before I answer her questions, though, I feel I MUST respond to some of the answers. So here are a few questions I asked Julie and those answers, along with my response to those answers.

Leslie asked: Did your mother ever tell you I told her I was going to shoot her tongue off? (I was little.)

My mom read this comment and called to claim that you have your facts twisted. She said you told that to a woman named Lou who was friends with your parents. She said you also told poor Lou that she was staying too long and to go home during a visiting teaching appointment. Whether you said this to my mom or to dear old Lou, my mom does have a tendency to carry on and it wouldn't hurt for someone to tell her to bite her tongue, or shoot it off if you'd rather.

Is Aunt Susie losing her mind? This was one of my Stand out-Stand off moments with her, as well as a classic moment from my childhood. Someone jog her memory!

I said something else entirely different but equally offensive to Lou Price. Poor Sister Price. I always preferred Wilford to her, and everyone knew it. Do you even know who Wilford and Lou Price were?

The Price's lived around the corner from my parent's first home on Hornell Street. They were so kind to my mother and parents when they were new members of the church. I think they even took my Mom, and Laurie&Lisa to Disneyland. They came over and asked my Mom to go, and she said sure and went. That's how nice they were.

I remember they had a big field of corn where they lived and Wilford used to carry me on his shoulders through it. I also remember exactly what I said to Lou Price. I remember staring at her. She had big, white hair and I was staring hard at her, her face, and her hair. And finally I had to say something, and this was it. I said, "Lou Price, why don't you go home. I'm tired of looking at your face."

Isn't that awful? What a terrible thing to say, and I said it. I have no idea how old I was, but I am certain I was little and didn't know any better because that is a far more preferable thing to think than thinking and knowing that I was nothing more than a little brat. What I really know is that this is only further proof that I've always spoken my mind and been highly opinionated.

But there is a redemptive aspect to this story. My girls, Holly and Mallory made it all up to Sister Price for me because they LOVED her.

When my girls were little my mom used to take them with her to visit Lou. Lou taught them how to play Skip-B0. The both of them loved this game and going to see her. Holly and Mallory also taught Annie Laurie and Erin Leigh how to play Skip-Bo, too and have told them all of their stories and memories about Sister Price. When Mallory learned that Lou Price had died she was devastated, and in her honor, memory and devotion, Mallory has never played a game of Skip-Bo since. It was their game.

Just so no one thinks I am still a mean little girl (who had a little curl), I have just gotten up to cram Kleenex in my eyes because my eyes are full of tears just thinking about Sister Price and how nice she was to my girls, my mother, our family and to me.

As an adult I always loved to see Wilford and Lou at church. We were in different wards so when we did see each other we were always so happy. Every time I saw them they told me how much they loved Mom and Dad. They were so kind to each one of us in our family because they loved our parents.

A few years ago, my Dad took me with him to visit Sister Price. I sat on her couch, and looked at her pictures and held back tears as I listened to her, knowing that it could be the last time I would ever see her or be in her home again.

It turned out that it was.

This post was suppose to be about Aunt Susie, but Aunt Susie made me think of Sister Price, and now it's making me cry. So, tomorrow I will return to convincing Susie that not only did I say something mean to Sister Price, but that I said something mean to her, too.