Ok. So as all of you probably know, I'm kind of really far from home. 5,025 miles to be exact, so coming home for important events isn't an easy nor cheap task.
So when I heard that my sweet 102 year old Grandma died I was heartbroken that I couldn't be with my family, especially today- it was her funeral. I thought about coming home early, but if you knew Grandma, she would probably say something like, "Oh! lets not make a big fuss about it..." she would've wanted me to stay here and finish out the last week, so I stayed. However I have one amazing boyfriend who stood in for me- he went to the viewing and took pictures of what it looked like and sent them to me, he took pictures of friends and family at the funeral and sent them to me, he made sure that I was still a part of it.
I'm grateful for my bestie Ashlie! She made sure she was there at the funeral and recorded the whole thing so I can listen to it later. You guys! I am so blessed to have such amazing friends!
I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to give a short talk about Grandma. I'm grateful for my Mom. I know that although it was difficult, she read my talk and I know she did an amazing job! There were so many more memories I could have shared like going for a ride with her in her green car, or hiding from her and then scaring her- she would tell me I couldn't have any more cookies if i tried it again, so i waited a month and did it again. (I thought I was pretty funny). playing with all of her cool really old toys, planting flowers, melting chocolate, so many memories with Grandma.
Here's my talk :)
There
are so many incredible things I could share about Grandma. I wish I could be
right here to tell you all about them, but I am grateful that even though I am
a few thousand miles away I can still share my thoughts about Grandma and her
life.
Grandma
and I had a special bond. We lived around the corner from each other and so I
was able to spend time with her growing up.
We
spent a lot of time making cookies, because anyone that came by would need one
of Grandmas delicious cookies. We would sing songs together, we would go to the
store in her green car, and we would sit on the couch and look at the pictures
in her national geographic. She taught me how to play skunk, dominos and other
games. It’s because of Grandma that I love puzzles so much. She would also let
me roll marbles off of her piano. I’m happy to have both the marbles and the
piano so I can still do that on occasion.
I was lucky enough to go to church with
grandma so during church I would go sit by her and her friends like lily
Anderson. I remember taking piano lessons at Grandmas house and I had to go
over and practice every day. I can’t remember if she made me sit there for 30
min or an hour to practice, I just remember I didn’t like that she made me sit
there and practice. But I would. And, Although, I’m not the best piano player,
I’m grateful that she made me sit there and practice. Playing the piano has
been a blessing in my life.
If
you knew Grandma, you knew she was super faithful to her Utes and I knew she
had become a pretty big deal when she was the superfan of the game one time. In the past year whenever I would come by It
didn’t matter if Grandma was in the worst mood, or if she was content, I knew I
could get a chuckle out of her if I mentioned something about BYU.
It
was hard to see her mind and body to not work like they used to in the last few
years. You could tell she was frustrated at times because she couldn’t remember
like she used to and she couldn’t do the things she used to. No matter what kind of mood she was in if you
gave her a hug and said I love you she would respond with the most sincere I
Love you too. It was sweet. It was sad to leave her sometimes.
And
although she didn’t remember much and her body didn’t quite work she still had
some funny moments-
I remember a few months ago she just wanted to
get up and walk, We said Grandma, you can’t get up! You might break a hip, she
casually responded with “It’s ok, I have 2 of them”
Even
though we are sad today that Grandma isn’t with us anymore. How grateful I am to
know that her mind is now clear again and her body one day will be in its
perfect state. I am grateful for Grandma
and her lifetime of service to the church and dedication to the gospel. She can
now receive the desires of her heart that she has shared with many of us over
the last few years. To be with her mom and dad again. To be with her family,
and to be with Grandpa. How grateful I am that the next time we’ll see her,
she’ll be perfect- without pain, walking, and with Grandpa and others that have
moved on before us.
Hasta Ver Grandma! See you soon Grandma!!
