November 1, 1981
Little Rock, Ark.

Dearest Ron, Ann, Susanna & Jessie, Rick, Jean, Ricky & Barbara Jean and Roy,

It is a rainy Sunday Stake conference Day and a very different one for us - the first time in fourteen years of Stake Conferences that Daddy was able to sit in the audience and with his family - we sat way at the back of the Cultural Hall in Jacksonville and after it was over Daddy said, "Boy it really has to be good to expect people to travel so far and sit for two hours where they can't see the speakers and not hear very well" - it was really good through - Russell Ballard of the Quorum of Seventies was our General Authority and he did a good job - the new Stake Presidency did a good job and it was a relief to us to not be involved - last night was Halloween and we had to go to a meeting but it wasn't as bad as having visitors in our home and having Daddy in charge - Johnny passed out our treats!!!!

Roy - we're so happy you are home safe and sound - we know you must have had a wonderful time and we hope you took your camera and took pictures so we can see them maybe at Christmas time - sorry we missed your call last night but we were relieved when Johnny told us you had "made it". I appreciated the calmness of Keith - we called and talked to him on Friday night because we were so sure you had had time to get there. He kept saying "I'm sure there is no need for concern" and promised to call us when they had heard from you. It was too bad you had problems getting an earlier plane out of Hawaii and then to have the plane have trouble - you have had all kinds of experience and we hope you had lots of good reading material with you while you were waiting. Robert told us that Carol Bracy was going to be there at the same time (maybe it was Shirley Strauss who told us) - I'll bet it was good to visit with her too. Were the Islands everything you had thought they would be? Daddy said you got to see the Polynesian Center too - is that where the Church University is? We had a near tragic thing happen in Little Rock last week - maybe you heard about it because it was on the national news - the pilot of a small plane had a fatal heart attack about an hour before the plane was to land and one of the passengers was able to land the plane safely at Adams Field by listening to instructions from the pilot of another plane who had flown close to him when he heard on the radio what had happened - it was really terrifying - Channel 4 interrupted one of their programs to announce that this plane was in the air without a pilot to land it and they had alerted the fire engines and ambulances and doctors to stand by and all of Little Rock was aware of what was going on - fortunately the wife of the man who was able to land it safely didn't hear about it until her husband was on the ground and telephone her. "Flying" scares me anyway and I'm always so relieved when everyone is safe on the ground and in their right spot - I think that is "old age".

Jeannie - what a wonderful, long letter - we are going to frame it!!! We love letters because we can read them over and over again. We love to hear about Ricky and Barji and the different stages they are going through and the cute things they say - isn't it funny how different children are in the different ages - we can just see Barji smiling her way through the "terrible twos" and you will be aware of every stage Ricky goes through!!!! We are so thrilled you have decided to stay in your home for a while and the way you have it fixed up sounds great - I don't like television anyway and it is really hard to have it in your living room where you can't get away from it. Your work sounds great - you must be good or you wouldn't have it so good.

Annie - we find ourselves getting excited about April - we'll come out and help with Susanna and Jessie and also put our garden in and then come back here until school is out. We worry about the varicose veins in your legs and we're so happy they make such good support hose now and we know you will take care of yourself. We're so anxious to be where Susanna can call us everyday - she is so cute on the phone - and we laugh when you talk about Jessie turning into a really cute little girl - she has always been a really cute little girl. We have thought about Mimi Woolley and hope she is better by now - she'll probably have to be really careful all Winter now - I have heard pneumonia can come back so easily. Did you and Ron have fun at your costume party - we hope you took some pictures!!!

Claire's folks are here - they will leave Tuesday for Houston where they will buy a home - they're thrilled with little Michael and happy to be back in the States. That little Michael is a doll - they bring him over here occasionally in the evenings and he just plays and sleeps and eats. Bob had to have a root canal on one of his front teeth last week - it just died. He finishes up psychiatry this next week and then goes into surgery!!!!

Dorothy just called me - she wanted me to save an articles out of the paper for her - Carol wrote a letter to the editor concerning "Private Schools" versus "Public Schools" and they printed it - it was very good but kinda' sad that neighborhood kids have to be on the defensive for their schools. Carol wants so much to go to Hall and her parents won't left her and this is her way of expressing herself - she is really a sweet girl and we feel kinda' bad for her. Terry's dog - Shawn (the biter) was going to have purebred puppies and she has been so excited because she likes that sort of thing and also she needs the money - she had just called her folks (she lives in Fort Worth) and Shawn had four puppies and they were all deformed and had to be put to sleep. Terry is going through a hard time.

I'm still at Right sell but I will be so happy when the teacher comes back - I have to spend my week-ends and evening trying to keep ahead of the class - right now I'm teaching them geometry (third grade geometry because some of them are a year behind) and it is really hard for me and this next nine weeks we were teaching science and we have a unit on simple machines and no machine was ever simple for me. They put on a program last Tuesday and we had to have our rooms decorated with all their work on display - anyway it takes a lot more time than just substituting.

We're anxious to see how well Johnny has done this first nine week period - he is over confident in many of his subjects - he thinks geometry is really easy and isn't having any trouble with Algebra II but he goofed up on the final exam and just made a B on it. He is really loving school and has a million friends and that is more important than making A's but we don't want him to start off on the wrong foot. He keeps talking about wanting to stay in Little Rock next Summer - we had expected that!!!! I plan to write to Dee Glen Smith and see if he will give me the manager's name of that Smith Food King in Orem so Johnny can apply for work there - we think he would be happier in Utah for the Summers if he could have a job - a lot of his friends here are working in the Baskin & Robbins Ice Cream stores.

I have talked to Grandmother Forrest a lot this past week - Grandpa is doing really well after his hernia operation - I called and talked to him yesterday and he has a bad cold but says his operation was fine. They are both in such good health it is just amazing. They said Dee Glen had just opened his huge store in Brigham City this past week - I think he must have done that as a memorial to his parents because he needs another store like I need a hole in my head!!!!

Guess who just came to see us - Jean Starnes Rodrick (sp.?) - she has come to town to testify in a civil rights case that happened twenty years ago to a teacher in the Joe T. Robinson schools - doesn't that sound like something Jean would be involved in. She said that Kay has two children and lives in Monticello, Ark. - Sally lives in Austin, Texas and isn't married yet and Ken lives in Kentucky ands has two children - Gil lives with her and was jealous of her new husband so they have separated. Visiting with her brought back a million memories and some that I am happy are behind us - she completely absorbed our family and loved all you kids - was so interested in what you were doing and she is a very different person with all kinds of problems. Now I really have to hurry so we can go mail this and get back in time to fix a little snack for the Ezells - they are coming over to watch "Ordinary People" on cable tonight.

We love you all very much and are very proud of you - PLEASE BE CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO and let us know if there is anything we can do to help you.
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