Grandma's Funeral

We went to Ferron for Grandma's funeral. I'm so glad that I have Mark with me in my life now. It's nice to share things like that with someone.

I couldn't believe how beautiful Grandma looked. I think my mom hit the nail on the head when she described Grandma's last moments. She said that Grandma finally looked like she was out of pain. That was it--Grandma wasn't in pain any more. She wasn't cringing from the pain. She wasn't fake smiling. She was peaceful and pain-free.

You can find pictures of the day here.

At both viewings (the one on Friday night and the one right before the funeral on Saturday), I shook almost as many hands and hugged almost as many people as my parents and aunts and uncles. Mark said, "What, are we part of the line now?" I said, "No." But, in a small way, I kind of was part of the line. Why? Because for about twelve years of my life, I was in Grandma's ward. And, until I graduated from high school, I lived in the same teeny town she did. In other words, I was quite familiar with most of the people in Grandma's life. And the ones that I didn't know super well knew me--as Grandma often talked about me (and my siblings, of course). It was nice to be home for that reason too, to see all these wonderful people.

The funeral was longer than I expected. Not because there were a zillion speakers, but because there are just so many good things to say about Grandma.

At the graveside, each of the grandchildren (that would be me) had the opportunity to say just a few words. I said that Grandma taught me to share my candy. All my life, we've given Grandma a box of chocolate cherries for Christmas. Everyone did. So, Grandma was always sharing her chococlate cherries. It was only a few years ago that we learned she didn't love them (it was a shock to all of us). She might eat one or two, but mostly she "loved" them because everyone thought she did, and because she could share them.

I also said that Grandma taught me to appreciate all the beauty around me. She loved her flower garden and she loved wildflowers. She loved looking at this beautiful earth that Heavenly Father made for us.

The third thing I said was Grandma taught me to love my Savior. I hope I can maintain a strong testimony like Grandma always lived.

I haven't checked blogs for about two weeks now. Last night when I was going through the last two weeks' worth of posts, I found this. Laura was a girl who spent a good deal of her youth in Ferron, living just down the road from Grandma. It's a most beautiful tribute. Thank you Laura.

And, THANK YOU GRANDMA for living the life you did. I will miss you.