The Plan C Date

Sometimes, being Plan C isn’t so bad.

Wednesday night at a family reunion in Timpanogos Lodge, Grandma Meibos told the gathered Meibos family about how she and Grandpa met more than sixty years ago.

“Grandpa wasn’t the first man I dated,” Grandma said.

Her first date was with a boy who she hadn’t met but had won some kind of high school award. She found out on the date that he had been recognized for growing a full-fledged beard the fastest.

“Have you ever tangoed with a guy with a beard?” Grandma said. “I hope not!”

Later, as Grandma attended Brigham Young University, a handsome boy began dating two of her roommates: Vicky and Pat. Grandma said that she tried to catch the boy’s attention by waiting in the front room whenever he came around to pick up one of her roommates for a date.

“I always wanted to date him because he had a car and was real cute,” Grandma said.

Unfortunately, her efforts didn’t come to fruition. At least, not immediately. Summer came and BYU emptied out as students returned home. Once classes began again, the boy called Grandma’s apartment. Grandma said the conversation went something like this:

“Is Vicky there?” the boy asked.

“No, she’s with her fiancé,” Grandma said.

“Well, is Pat there?”

“No, she’s also engaged.”

“Oh. Will you go out with me then?” the boy asked.

Grandma agreed.

Bob Meibos and Edith Schaelling went on their first date not long after. During the date, Grandma won a shirt for knowing trivia about a band that was popular at the time. Grandpa must have been impressed because he asked her out again. The rest is history.

“We knew it was right from the beginning,” Grandma said.

Grandma also shared some spiritual experiences from her youth. When she was a young girl, she was the only child her age in her primary class. At one point, she was invited to sing a musical number. The song she memorized and sang was Joseph Smith’s First Prayer.

“When I sang that hymn, I knew it was true,” Grandma said.

The fledgling testimony was tested during her youth. She told the family that as a teenager she began to wonder if all religions taught the truth. Grandma couldn’t help but wonder how a small church based in a small town in Utah could be God’s chosen church.

After she began studies at BYU, she took a religion class which helped answer her questions. The model of apostasy and restoration helped give her an opportunity to fortify her confidence in the gospel. That testimony was further strengthened years later as she began regularly participating in endowment sessions at the Dallas Temple. As she pondered on ancient temples and how ancient Israel would use sacrifice in conjunction with gospel ordinances, she has come to feel a connection with the saints of that time.

“I think the Law of Sacrifice is still in effect today in the temples,” Grandma said. “When you need a blessing, that’s how you get it—by serving in the temple.”