Thoughts about SMAG

This post won't mean much to very many people but I felt like writing something.

Today is the funeral for SMAG (Sister Marilyn Ann Good).  I am no where near by where the funeral is being held but I am still thinking about her just the same.  Sister Good was like one of the support beams that holds up a building.  It is hard to think about the Battleford's Branch without thinking about her.  I can see her now sitting in her seat, right next to the nearest open door-not wanting to be too squished-worried about claustrophobia.  She was someone you could count on to be the same from week to week.  She never wanted to give a talk or a prayer-though I think my dad did get her to say a prayer once when he was Branch President.  She was rough and not very lady like but she had a heart of gold.  She was very generous and always looking out for others.  She loved kids.  I never let her hold my baby and I feel bad about that.  I have lots of memories from my teen years of Marilyn experiences.  I remember her loaning us her van so the Young Men and Young women could go to a youth conference in Winnipeg (a 12 hour drive from us).  I remember her driving some of the youth to Cardston to go to the temple (an 8 hour drive) and she wasn't even a youth leader.  One time she took us to a youth dance in Alberta (she wasn't a youth leader then).  We ate at a restaurant and we were so embarrassed because she made a big deal about whether or not her hamburger had MSG on it or not-cue the phrase, "take it back..take it all back."  I remember her taking us to girls camp-again even though she wasn't a youth leader.  That is where she got the name SMAG.  We kept calling her Sister Good and she said she didn't want to be called Sister Good but we could just call her Marilyn.  We somehow came up with calling her SMAG-Sister Marilyn Ann Good and she kept that nick name from that time on.  I think she may have even worn a swimsuit on that camping trip (am I right friends?).  Some of our funniest catch phrases from our youth come from Marilyn moments.  My personal favorites are, "If you can't drive that thing, then you just park it over there," and, "Let me check my pink pants pocket," and anything to do with the words "ear candling."  She always had advice to give weather you wanted it or not.  I think every time I go home I will still be looking for her to be sitting in her same chair in the church chapel.  I hope no one else takes her seat-just wouldn't seem right.  Thanks for all the laughs SMAG and for everything you did for the Battlefords Branch and it's members.