There's nothing better than cake but more cake

February 15, 2015

     It's a balmy 17 degrees out there. It has really warmed up today. It began at 1 degree windchill when we went to church this morning. I understand why AZ is bombarded with Snowbirds each year. This is nothing compared to the northeastern part of the United States. They are getting blasted! We wanted to stay warm yesterday so we went to the Truman Library. We got there just in time for a presentation on President Truman's letters to his "Bessie" through the years. He called her that til she told him she hated it. There are more than 1,300 documented letters to her through the years. She was much more private and wished to burn all hers that she wrote to him. The museum workers are still finding memorbilia in the old Truman house as late as 2012.
     He claims to have loved her since he met her in Sunday School at age 6 and she was 5. See the beautiful church below. She was his "beautiful golden haired girl with blue eyes". Through the years she didn't think much of him. It took many years to earn her love. They were both in their 30's when they married.
     President Truman is famous for lots of things but I now admire him most for his love of his wife. His library is loaded with so much  history but I was struck by Bess's white leather wedding shoes. Man, her feet looked little. I don't know how she could have stood around and smiled all day because they were n-a-r-r-o-w.  The pictures taken the wedding day looked like a pretty good time, though.
     The whole fieldtrip reminded me again that when it is all over but the crying, nothing will count as much as our relationships. Again, I say we are here serving a mission to set the example to our dearest family at home. That is how we show our love at this time. We pray everyday that the Lord will accept our pitiful offering. AND....You all know how I feel about my elder......Bess Truman doesn't have a thing on me. She got a president. I got an elder. Too bad for her.

Good Harry Truman quotes....

"There's nothing better than cake but more cake"   (Right, Seaman girls?)

"Once a decision was made, I didn't worry about it afterward"

"Never kick a fresh turd on a warm day"

My LOVE, love to you all,

Sister Seaman

The Complaint Department

     Many years ago, when Sister Seaman's father was alive, he (Elbert Lewis) operated a Junk Store.  It was the Junk store of all Junk Stores.  It was so big and such a maze of rooms and hallways that he placed water and rations for those who were lost.  It was beyond belief.  The rooms were packed with antiques and used furniture and junk. He had lots of old sayings and signs.  One of the sayings he was fond of, and was always telling me, was that "you couldn't sell anything out of an empty wagon." Hence, the acres of junk.  He used to put signs up too.  One of them became one of my favorites.  It hung near his office window and it went something like this, "Complaint Department, Go to Helen Waite."  For those of you who don't get it, just keep saying it to yourself out loud.  It will come to you. 
     The missionaries here in Missouri try to make me the complaint department sometimes.  On almost every occasion, I want to tell to them to go to Helen Waite, but I don't.  But I remember and smile to myself.  They call me often about their mattresses being worn out or that their boxsprings are broke.  (I don't know how you break a boxsprings unless you are jumping on the bed.)  They want a new vacuum cleaner because theirs doesn't work anymore.  (It is usually just plugged so full of hair and crap that it won't suck up anything anymore.)  I gently suggest that cleaning the filter and the hose may help.  It usually works.  Lately, I have had a couple of calls about marijuana smoke filtering in to their apartments and loud noises coming from nextdoor neighbors.  I tell them that I will write a letter to the Landlord.  It usually works. It is a little embarrassing.
     The other day I was in the office and received a noise complaint and so I called the apartment manager.  SHE listened to me go on about it for a while, mainly because I wasn't sure how to tell her about it, and then she told me, "Oh honey, I've been in the manager business for years and I have heard it all."  She told me that she would tell the noisy neighbors to knock it off after 10:00PM. Well, OK.  I can't imagine they will keep quiet.  Anyway, during the time I was on the phone to her, my office companion, the car czar, who is about 75 and his wife, are listening to my end of the conversation.  He is looking at me just smiling a big ol wicked smile and she has her back to me, head bent down. I laughed about it later with my Sister.  Complaints?  Go to Helen Waite.

Sincerely,

Elder Seaman


    



New bird's nest from the
Kansas City Temple Grounds courtesy of
our FM friends. The puff is from the cottonwood trees.
 



Church where Pres. Truman met Bess. 
Picture was taken a couple of months ago.