11 Sep 1942
Dorothy Griffin to Maude / Alhambra, CA
Dear Mother Griffin
My conscience has been give me such marked twinges all day that I'm going to ease it by writing this much delayed letter! I truly am ashamed.
Mother Griffin, we were absolutely overwhelmed by the gift to Paul! I hope some day he'll take the full amount to take you and Dad Griffin to dinner and show. That seems a long way off just now but when we realize Bob starts school Monday it really isn't so very long. We're putting the money into Defense Stamps towards a bond for Paul, so that someday he'll know of your generosity. I can think of no better place for it, although we could easily use it for any of a dozen things for him, but we would like to build a little fund of each of the boys for later schooling or missionary expenses.
Paul is a darling. I hope you see him again before too long. As I tell John, h e prettiest where there is no competition, but he still is the easiest baby to have around I can imagine. He drinks from a cup now, and eats three cans of baby food daily as well as two cups of pablum, etc. While he was so sick, for so long it seemed, he lost a good deal of weight and became quite flabby, but now after ten days of normalcy he is pounds heavier, I believe, and firm and chubby again. His doctor was away while Paul was sick and I hesitated calling a strange doctor in so used all the remedies (not medicines) that I could think of, and held him from developing fever. I'm told he had a bronchial cough and that its very common out here and lasts for as long as three months sometimes. I don't really know but I'm getting him checked up next week and perhaps Dr. Baus will know. He hasn't coughed once now in nearly two weeks, so I know it was a germ of some kind.
I took Bobby over to register at school today. He starts kindergarten Monday and is walking on clouds. We took a look at his room, a great big L-shaped one, with a playhouse fireplace, house of blocks nine feet high, and paper mache elephant (life-sized), besides all the conventional kindergarten equipment. This afternoon he went to a birthday party, the second within a week, and as my neighbor says, "There's no child anywhere who seems as thrilled over a party as Bob" - he beams all over as he marches along. He has already asked at least 20 children to his own although no official invitation have ever been bought! I though I'd steal an idea from a magazine for his and have a patriotic party with a drum and a horn motif - red, white and blue, with drum cake, drum favor baskets, etc. I haven't it all worked out yet but expect to soon.
It seems as though lately we spend most of our time at church. That's the way its supposed to be I guess, but right now I'm in so many things so I'm going to drop some. I've been in the choir and we had a concert last night. We've been practicing for it over a month, three nights a week! Then I give a book review once each month to the Women's class (all girls and women while the men have Priesthood classes). I really enjoy doing that but it takes a good deal of time selecting, reading, and preparing the review. It's a 45 minute class. Then I conduct the teacher training class which meets once a month and now I'm first counselor in the YMMIA, so I'm going to let the choir work go. John is president of Mutual and teaches a Priesthood class as well. So you see we're more than busy. I like the fact of us working together in Mutual, then I don't feel that the church is separating our interests and can sympathize better with the time it demands.
Elsie doesn't come out nearly enough to suit me, but I see her in town almost every Saturday and we chat over a soda. Then if she isn't all dated up I coax her out. She seems more like a real sister to me than a kin-sister and I enjoy here more than any other girl friend I have out here. I believe if a good fairy gave me two wishes the second would be for her. I'm selfish enough to want the first for us although when it comes right down to fundamentals we're as lucky as any people living and I wouldn't trade straight across with anyone.
I've been reviewing books three months now. Maybe you'd enjoy knowing which ones. The first was Lin Yulangs "My Country and My People", a very fine book on Chinese people. The second was "One who was Valiant", a biographical sketch of Brigham Young by his daughter Clarissa. If you haven't read this you really should. I only wish we had more such intimate stories of our church leaders. It's delightful and enlightening and very refreshing after the bitter story on polygamy, "The Giant Joshua". She tells of polygamy in its ideal state and although I still could never have any part of it I can appreciate its value - as a non-participant. Last month I reviewed "Grandma Called It Carnal" by Bertha Damon. This is a perfectly delightful biography of a loveable eccentric New England woman who was a disciple of Thoreau. You would love it and I think you can get it from the library. Next week I'm reviewing a novel "The Keys of the Kingdom" by A.J. Cronin. I chose it because of its strong philosophy of tolerance and humility in religion. I especially like this work because I have only my own discretion to follow in choosing the books, and because its splendid development in speech and vocabulary building for me, just like extra schooling. The nicest complement I've yet had was a woman asking me if I were Adam S. Bennion's daughter because I talked just like him. He's about my favorite church official so I was really thrilled at that. This woman's class is the favorite church meeting of the week. One week a woman teaches ethics, another deals with theology on the second Sunday. I have books on the third (literature) and church doctrine is on the fourth, and the fifth a visiting lecturer *on various subjects)takes the class.
We did enjoy Madge and Don's short visit. She's a grand wife for don and Don acts years younger since he found her. Paul was sick while they were here and every since, Bob was so sick. I'm an awful worrier if either of them get anything but I think Don and Madge enjoyed themselves anyway. It was altogether too short a visit.
As you can probably tell, we're just now establishing roots here with church work. I do like ward work so much more than stake work. So we'll probably be moved along anytime now! John has been promoted a work but completely out of the legal field and he is anxious to get into his law so at his first opportunity he will jump back to law, and of course that means a transfer. In the end though we both feel it the wise thing to do. Someday we hope to grow roots like an oak tree!
I'm still going to send samples of my room stuff, but this letter has turned into a short book!
Love, Dorothy
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