Thanks, though I really should talk to Susan about editing that post for grammar and continuity.
The short version is, I was curious about polygamy, particularly how Joseph Smith lived it, and realized that I had never learned anything about it from church sources. All I wanted to know were the names of his wives. I figured Google could at least help me with that. Just a minute or two out of my work time.
I became an exmo shortly after that Google search.
That was one of the best bios I've read on that board. What happened after the whole house of cards fell down? How did you tell your wife? Did she leave the church too?
I haven't penned the aftermath yet, but it's been good and bad. Some people begin to doubt when a loved one leaves the church, others dig in deeper than they ever were before and try to distance themselves from any form of questioning. My wife was very much the latter, but I'm not yet ready to reveal a personal story that might reflect poorly on people I care about, even under the cloak of anonymity.
I knew a relative of S.W. Kimball on my mission. He didn't want to go on a mission but his (think S.W. was his uncle or granddad) asked him about serving and when he said he hadn't any plans to go, S.W. made it clear he had better go.
I liked this Elder Kimball because he was so laid back and real. He wasn't on his mission to impress anyone. He simply knew it was expected of him. He never made any pretenses about anything. He was a genuinely nice guy. Hope that was you or a near relative.