CARTHAGE JAIL AND JAPAN

I got to go over to Carthage and work for the day.  It was a beautiful day outside and I got to go with Sister Ballard, which is one of my favorite people.  We had a wonderful day.  The night before I had been Agatha in Rendezvous.  There was a whole audience of people from Japan.  Not too many of them spoke English, so there was a lot of bowing going on!

As we got to Carthage and opened up the visitors center, up drives a bus.  As they start coming out we are waiting for them, and all of a sudden, they start hollering ‘GEORGE!” in English. It was the audience from Japan again and so we had an instant connection.  I guess the antics of Agatha are common in all cultures.  In Nauvoo, it is what I am widely known for.  Sad but true.  Anyway, I had the privilege of helping to take them on a tour of the jail.. The jail is a very special place anyway, it is easy to feel the spirit there as you tell about the prophet and men who were with him. 

This sweet little sister just laughed and laughed at me.  She wanted her picture taken with me and then gave me this candy.  She wanted me to know that it was very popular in Japan and it was a gift.

I was honored.  Quite tasty as well.  I can’t exactly put into words what it is like to be recognized all the time for something like being in Rendezvous.  When President Oaks was here for the second time, he said, “Oh, Rendezvous!” Richard and I were talking about it the other day.  We will never do anything like this again.  We have never done anything like it before. It has been an interesting experience.  When I work in a site, people will come in and talk about me.  I am not trying to be boastful, but I can’t tell you how many people say “Oh,  you have done this a lot before.  Tell me you are an actress??????” People don’t believe me when I tell them I was a shy little girl, but I was.  What has happened? I think I have discovered that life is to short to sweat the small stuff, have fun, enjoy life, don’t care about what others think of me, I am going to be myself and enjoy what time I have left. Why didn’t I learn this much sooner?  How can I teach my children? You can teach an old dog new tricks,. “GEORGE”