Grandma is free...

It's been way too long since I posted, but I have been so busy that I haven't had time. I finally have a little bit of time tonight, so I thought I would do a quick post about Grandma. Grandma was finally set free on Saturday morning, February 28. She died very peacefully, and my mother was able to be with her at the end, which was such a blessing. Janice and I got to the care center 30 minutes later, and were able to see her and spend time with her and our aunts and uncle. She looked so peaceful, and I felt so grateful that she was finally able to be released from her suffering. It was bittersweet too--I will miss getting to talk to her and learn from her sweet example. But I love to think of how excited she is now to be with my Grandpa, and to think of the joy and happiness she is experiencing now. Here are some pictures of her:

This is when she was a young mother. Isn't she beautiful?

Here she is in her early forties. This is the picture we used for the obituary and the front of the funeral program.

This is a picture of her and my Grandpa in their sixties.

The viewing was Tuesday night, and the funeral was yesterday, and they both turned out to be so beautiful. I was privileged to get to create her funeral program, which is part of what kept me so busy the last few days. It turned out really nice, and I felt like I had extra help doing it. (I wish I could figure out a way to upload it to my blog).

I love the spirit that I feel at funerals, and the feeling of family and togetherness. My aunts and uncles gave such beautiful talks about Grandma, her life, and especially the Plan of Salvation. Grandma wanted all of the great-grandkids to sing, and so we had them sing "Teach Me to Walk in the Light." I got to lead them in singing, and it was so precious. Janice got some video of them singing, and I put some snapshots from the video below. I'm so grateful for the spirit that attends when a loved one dies, and that assures us that we will see them again!

I took tons of pictures of the viewing and funeral, but thought I would just put a few highlights below:

This is me, my Mom and Janice at the viewing

This is me with Kate, Lizzie and Sabrina. We didn't plan to match, but it sure turned out cute!

The picture above and below are pictures of the great grandkids singing. They were so cute, and I know Grandma heard them and felt so happy!

You can see my Dad in the background, sitting on the stand with Uncle Joe, who was conducting.

And finally, this is a picture of my Uncle Joe, my Mom, my Aunt Eileen, and my Aunt Annette at the graveside. My uncle Larry is on a mission in England, so couldn't be there for this picture. But he sent a talk which was read by his son at the funeral.

I am so grateful for my grandparents, and for their faithfulness. They have 27 grandchildren, and 62 great grandchildren, and left us all a legacy of faith that we can strive to emulate. I am so glad they are together again, and are on a new mission to continue to bless the lives of others.