In Which RoseE Wishes Her Mom A Happy Birthday

RoseE writes:

"Dear Mum,

It striketh me as it has never before that Mother's Day and your birthday are fairly close together . . . as are Father's Day and Dad's birthday, come to think of it. Not AS close, but still.

So hoping this gets to you in time, Happy Birthday! Your last letter sounded ticked about the new glasses you've been forced into, like needing them made you feel old. Well, I'm younger but I'm certainly catching up--in the course of my mission I've developed bunions and bone spurs, started to go gray at an increasing rate, and aged from 23 to 26 in less than 18 months. My eyes are okay but my feet are in real bad shape. But hey, that's kind of the point, right? If you've got anything left at the end of the race, you didn't run it right. Thus saith Elder Holland (thus roareth Elder Holland, actually, if I know Elder Holland--I've never heard that talk, but you can tell in print when he's raising the rafters and it still makes you want to either run to join Helaman's Army or hide under the bed.) Well-worn things, whether shoes or glasses, are signs of a life well lived. Speaking of which, I've got to take my brown shoes to the cobbler's sometime this week, to be glued back together so they'll survive another two months' work. They're real gosh darn missionary shoes now. Fortunately there's a cobbler's booth right outside our church, so it shouldn't be too much trouble. (Cobbler's shops in Korea are, really and truly, called kudupyeongwon--shoe hospitals.) (I probably already told you that. I forget what I've told you and what I haven't.)

Oh, we saw a Honda outside our apartment today. A Honda! What is a Honda doing in Korea?

Dad's probably double miffed now that you've got two letters and a phone call while he's got nothin'. Tell him to hold his horses; June is coming. I'm really tempted to call stateside again and leave a message on his work voicemail to wish him a happy Father's Day, but I won't. Obedient missionary and all that. I'll think of SOME kind of mischief to do in his name on that day, though; don't worry.

I love you. And don't worry. Thora* wears reading glasses and her husband isn't even out of college yet.

Bisoux**

RoseE"


*Thora: RoseE's good friend

**Bisoux: kisses (fr)