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| L-to-R: Gena Roe, Cindy Moseley Hatch, Fran Roe Moulton, Janae Wright Harker |
When my sister and her husband left for their mission last
September, I thought it sounded fun to go visit them there. Then a few months
later her childhood best friend, JJ, got called (with her husband) to serve at
the Nauvoo Temple. And then a few months ago, another dear friend, Cindy, (and
her husband) also got called to Nauvoo – so I decided that with so many
fabulous friends all there that it was time for me to arrange time-off and head
to Nauvoo.
These 3 dear
friends all grew up together and were very close – and were so great at
including me (or babysitting me) when I was little, even though they were
teenagers with plenty of teenage things to do. Because they were so close to my
sister, they all felt like big sisters to me – and still do, to this day.
One of the evenings
I was there, my sister & BIL had a meeting to attend – so they asked JJ to
babysit me. Really??? (And, yes, she really used the word “babysit”.) I haven’t
been babysat in 45-years! But since it was Janae, I was looking forward to
“being babysat”. That evening, when I got to their place, JJ said she’d been
asked to “entertain” me. I was really hoping for a little song & dance
number, but she had nothing musical prepared (disappointing, huh?). So instead,
we headed up to the cute little shops in Nauvoo, came home for dinner (her
meatloaf is really yummy), and then played card games for a while. I’m not sure
her husband had as much fun with the game (since apparently JJ and I are both
“a bit” competitive) – but it was a fun evening.
Then, as the
evening came to a close, we headed outside – just as dark was settling in. And
in that late-May/early-June period in Nauvoo, fireflies come out just at dark.
They’re only out for about 15-30 minutes, and there has to be some tall grass
or an open field – but I’d never seen fireflies before. I was mesmerized! They
flash different colors, and flash as they fly. A few came pretty close to me,
and I could watch them blinking as they flitted by. I don’t know how you’d ever
catch one of those little things, but they are truly amazing. And it was the
perfect way to end the evening.
A few nights later,
we all got together and headed to a fabulous dinner. My BIL had a Pork Sundae,
which sounds weird but is incredibly delicious. And we all visited and chatted
(and hooted and hollered, according to some reports) – and had a lovely evening
of catching up. Maybe growing up in Oakland in the 50s/60s/70s wasn’t what
others experienced, but those of us that did have a connection that you just
won’t find anywhere else. And I’m so grateful for these amazing women and the
incredible impact they have had on my life.
Even though I’m now
52-years old, being babysat was so much more fun than I remember. Hmmmm, Adult
Babysitting, I wonder if it could make a comeback?
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