18-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Sunday, February 22, 1914: Went to Sunday school this afternoon. We had church. Got a bid to a party next Fri.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
The Baptist Church that Grandma attended is long gone. I think that it once stood on either the lot where the modular home is now or the vacant lot next to it.
Grandma—
Yeah! “He” finally asked you out.
—
I learned several things from this diary entry.
I learned a new meaning for the word “bid”. According to the dictionary, one of the definitions of bid is “an invitation.” Does anyone use bid that way anymore?
And, (though I can’t be positive because of the way Grandma worded her diary entry), I think that I learned that the guy Grandma liked attended her church.
Sometimes I’m absolutely amazed how commenters on this blog have premonitions about future events in the diary before I do.
I never work very far ahead writing posts. Occasionally I get 5 or 10 days ahead—other times I’m writing them the day before they’re posted.
I’m writing this post two hours before I post it—and I’m amazed how several commenters realized before I did that the guy Grandma liked went to her church.
On February 15 Grandma wrote:
Didn’t get to Sunday School this morning as the road is not much broken. Felt quite vexed about it as I didn’t want to miss more than what I could possibly help.
Here are two comments that people made on that post: Allysonj wrote:
I wonder if she is eager to get to Sunday school because of the Valentine she missed earlier in the week – maybe the sender will be there.
And, Catherine wrote:
I also wondered if the reason Miss Muffly did not want to miss Sunday school was because of a “love” interest there…
Thank you– Allysonj, Catherine, and everyone else who takes a few moments to help me try to make sense of the diary. You’re awesome!
A Hundred Years Ago 
Oh Sheryl I think Grandma’s world is now revolving around her new friend. He is becoming a very main character in your blog. 🙂
It’s fun to have a new character to write about (especially when I picture him being a cute guy that Grandma has a crush on).
For sure! Hopefully Grandma gets a little more talkative soon. 🙂
On the use of “bid” to mean invitation: when I was in undergrad, sororities had “Bid Night,” which was the evening that rushing candidates found out if they were getting the formal invitation to become a Pledge to the sorority. Your formal “bid” meant that you had to make a final decision whether you wanted to join the organization. Once you accepted the offer, or “bid,” you officially became a Pledge of that particular organization, so you couldn’t pledge any other sorority. If the full members of any sorority you were rushing didn’t stop by your residence on Bid Night, that meant you were not being offered the invitation. If you were rushing multiple sororities at once, you had better know which one you most wanted to join, because accepting or declining was a one-time only affair, and all of the organizations made their bids on the same day.
Not sure how many fraternities and sororities call it that, of how many colleges use the designation of “Bid Day/Night” to indicate such, bit this was the case at my school, which had a mixture of local and National Greek organizations on campus in the mid-1990s.
Now that you mention it, I can also remember hearing sorority and fraternity members talking about bids.
Bid made me think of an auction. When you bid you are extending an invitation to buy. So, I understood the use of the term.
Could you tell if she was excited by her handwriting? I know that some people show their emotion in how they write.
I’m don’t think so, but I’m not much of a handwriting expert.
Hmm–This might be an interesting idea for a post. I’ll have to give it some thought. 🙂
Brilliant. This is so exciting as it unfolds.
It’s fun how something from a hundred years ago can almost see like it is happening in “real time”.
Absolutely! The way you are presenting it makes it feel that way which is wonderful.
I don’t use bid as an invitation. but, it fits from what has been described above.
This relationship is getting steamy. 🙂
🙂
ahhh… ❤
Your premonitions were right on the money. Thanks for writing a comment that gave me the idea for this post.
The plot slowly unfolds…great photo.
I tend to be impatient, but in real life it seems like things often unfold slowly. 🙂
In older movies I have heard the term: I bid thee to come. Is this beau possibly her future husband?
Grandma was 3 1/2 years older than my grandfather, and they didn’t get married until she was 26. I don’t think that he was on her radar screen in 1914.
I like younger men too! 😉 Go Helena Go!
🙂
I wonder if they sat together or just watched each other sing from opposite ends of the pews? I like to think of Friday night as our date night, so I guess Mr B bids me every week…LOL that sounds a little naught..snicker.
That does sound slightly naughty (but fun). 🙂
Now that you mention it, I bet that they just watched each other from opposite ends of the pews.
I have learned something new from Helena – the use of the word, “Bid.” Could the mysterious bid be from your to-be grandfather? The diary is really getting exciting.
I don’t think so–they won’t get married for another 7 years.
This whole series is so great! I was telling people about it last evening between scenes.
I’m glad that you’re enjoying it. I hope that the play is going well.
Thanks for the good wishes. Yes, the show is going well — laughter, tears, and applause where one would hope they’d be. Sold out house for today (400 seats). I’ll be posting brief blog.
Why does my pulse beat a little quicker when Helena gets asked for a date?!
My pulse beats a little faster, too. 🙂
No “nothing doing” today! 😉
Absolutely not–this was an exciting Sunday for her.
I was out of town yesterday, and am just now seeing this post. I’ve never heard of the word “bid” used as an invitation. Exciting!
It’s fun to vicariously enjoy her excitement a hundred years later. 🙂
Very interesting to learn about the word bid.
Now it gets interesting! Go Helena!!