a celebration

grandma with all my girls...
the last couple of days have been difficult, but happy too. and yesterday was grandma's viewing. i got to see a lot of people and relatives that i haven't seen for a while. it was amazing to have all of mom's brothers and sisters there. not all cousins... joan and lerry, who have been feuding for years, were actually in the same room! i don't know if they even spoke. it's so sad that people can't put the past, past offenses there, in the past... brodie put together a dvd of all our pics of grandma, i can't wait to get a copy! it was so nice. the funeral was so good. all of the great-grandkids sang, "i am a child of God". i had to go up there with ash, she was nervous. brandy read a poem that she wrote about our childhood with grandma. a flood of memories came rushing at me. "the blue" room that we were sure was haunted. we did not want to sleep in there! grandma and her "tab" drinking habit... rick spoke of his memories. he also spoke of how important it is to grandma that all of her posterity have testimonies, and have the blessings of the temple. he got quite emotional as he told us that it is our responsibility to get one another "home". that was grandma's legacy to us. she did so much family history work. she did just as much temple work. mom spoke too. i love her! she isn't afraid to get into her scriptures even though there were others there who probably didn't want to hear what they used to know and understand. that was the sad part about today, how many were grieving... they have forgotten what they have been taught. that's why i am so thankful for these opportunities to teach the girls, to bear my testimony to them. the past couple of weeks and just having had conference weekend has been awesome. i am thankful to be a mother and to have the knowledge to teach my kids. dad gave the dedicatory prayer at the graveside... and to think that when mom dear-johned her missionary to marry dad, grandma told her dad was going to take her "to hell in a hand basket"... and here he is. a worthy member of the church, blessing her grave with the power of the priesthood! we got to sit with grandpa at the luncheon afterward. ash was so cute winking at him and giving him her thumbs up. we'll have to make it a more regular thing to visit him. i fell sad thinking of him all alone in that house. loneliness... bryson's wife sang, "oh my father", everything she sings is beautiful! she and bry sang, "let me call you sweetheart", friday before grandma passed. mom veiled grandma before they closed the casket. she said that she felt so blessed, she didn't understand why, out of the seven kids, four of which daughters, the funeral director handed it to her and asked her if she would like to do it. what a bittersweet moment. it was harder watching grandpa say goodbye... the girls wanted to go see her grave before we made the drive home, so we stopped. i had explained to them at the graveside earlier, about the vault and how they would lower her casket into the ground, so ash must have forgotten... when we got there, grandma's casket was gone, they had buried her, but ash thought some one took her! she was so worried. i had to re-explain... then she wanted me to lift up the sod so ash could see her, what a little literal mind she has! when all is said and done, the girls and i each got a flower from her spray that i will press, mom got her engagement ring, i will get a pair of earrings, and that book i have... it was hers from when she was young, still "Maxine Gunnell", her name in her own hand, the book printed in 1933... i didn't realize it was that old... and memories... what a celebration of her life!