My Little Kindle Friend

When we first came to Memphis for our mission, I met Marguerite. 

She comes to church each week, dripping in costume jewelry and colorfully coordinated outfits.

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We've been to her house several times—once for my husband to unstick her bathroom window after painters had done some work for her. They had painted the window shut. A putty knife and a little elbow grease corrected the problem.

We took the young Elders over another time to get her patio furniture out for the summer.

Her house has a musty smell laced with cologne. It's tidy, but it's so cluttered with stuffed animals, pictures of her past life, and tables set for a party with full service dinner and glass ware that she never gives it a good cleaning. 

She invited us over this past week because she needed help with her Kindle. While we were on the phone, setting a time, she volunteered, "I cain't be friends with most women."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because, if I talk to their husbands, the wives get jealous and think I'm making a pass at their men."

I smile. She is so cute! I just love her.

We go to her house. She invites us in, and we sit on the couch across from her collection of Christmas cards and ornaments while she gets her Kindle. 

She can't get it off D&C 84. She read a verse from that section last week as part of the Relief Society lesson, and she got stuck there.

We practice touching Moroni (softly) in LDS tools. She is delighted to get back to the library. She laughs. Then we practice finding her Sunday School lesson. When we turn to the Teachings of the Presidents, she asks, "Now which prophet are we studying?

I tell her, "Joseph Fielding Smith."

She scrolls down to Joseph F. Smith. "Is this right?"

I help her find Joseph Fielding Smith.

We practice changing from one screen to another, but she still gets mixed up.

So I say, "If you don't know what to do, punch Moroni and start over again."

We try this several times, and it works. She needs a simple rule to help her begin again.

We laugh and have an enjoyable visit. I try to figure out why admire her so very much. 

*I come up with the fact that she is action oriented. The world doesn't pass her by. She's part of it, and having a great time along the way.

*She seems undaunted in her quest to join the electronic age. Even though she gets confused and doesn't know what to do, she keeps going. Her positive attitude is catching. 

*Her youthful mind-set keeps her involved in life around her, and gives her kind of a crazy flair that's fun.

*She has a strong testimony of the gospel since her conversion forty years ago. She drives herself to the temple every week (a little scary) and motors to church every Sunday (also a little scary).

*She makes things happen in her life, and that's a great attitude to have..