Goodbye Grandma

Today was my Grandmother's funeral. Isn't she adorable? She died last week of "old age." She was 91. As the family gathered for the family prayer and closing of the casket, the man conducting asked if there was anyone who would like to come up and say their last goodbyes before they closed the casket. A few family members moved forward, but it was completely silent. All of a sudden my three-year-old nephew broke the silence with words that we all wished we had said, "Goodbye Grandma. Goodbye. Goodbye Great-Grandma."

I said my goodbyes to her the last time I saw her alive. I told her I loved her. She squeezed my hand and smiled. She has the most beautiful smile. "I love you," she said. I didn't know that would be my last time seeing her in this life, but something told me to capture that memory and I did. I hope that I will always remember.

It's hard when someone you love passes on. You miss them because they are no longer with you. I appreciated the Bishop who spoke at the funeral. He quoted a scripture, D&C 42:45 which says, "Thou shalt live together in love, inasmuch as thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die." He explained that it's okay to weep when someone dies. We don't weep because we believe that's the end. But we weep because we miss them being with us and we shed tears of gratitude for their life and their teachings.

My Grandma taught me many things. She was not a perfect person, but the thing that I admire most about her was her faith. She had an unwavering faith. I remember many times sitting next to her holding her hand. She'd ask me about something going on in my life and I'd tell her of some troubles I was having. She'd squeeze my hand and smile and say, "I'll pray for you." I knew she would. And I knew that everything would work out. Her prayers were heard. She knew that and I knew it.

I know that I'll see my Grandma again. I know that although her body lies in a grave now, her spirit is alive as ever. I know that in the resurrection, her body and spirit will be reunited, never to be separated again. I'm so grateful for that.

Wonderful Readers

I just discovered a wonderful series of books that are great for teaching children to read. Curious George is just barely learning to read, but gets overwhelmed with books that have more than one or two words on each page. I really like the books in this series because you read the words on the left pages and the child reads just a few words on the right page. It makes for a great interactive reading experience and CG loves it. They increase the words that the children read as children learn to read more. I just love the concept of these books so I thought I'd share.

Here's the site:
http://webothread.com

Here's a few that we've read together from Amazon:

The Message of Easter

We enjoyed a beautiful weekend watching General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The talks were wonderful and inspiring and uplifting. If you're interested in watching or listening to the conference, you can find the audio and video archives here.

Next Sunday is Easter - when Christians around the world join together to celebrate the Atonement and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I would like to add my testimony to thousands of other faithful Christians in declaring that Jesus is the Christ. I know that He lived on this earth and performed countless acts of service and miracles during his earthly ministry. His teachings as recorded in the Holy Scriptures are true and will bless our lives if we follow them. I'm grateful that He suffered in the garden of Gethsemane and on the cross for me and for you. I know that when He died, His death was not the end, for He rose in the morning of the third day as a glorified and resurrected being. Because He rose on the third day, Christ made it possible for us to be resurrected as well. I know that if we are righteous, we can live with Him and our Heavenly Father again. This is the wonderful message of Easter. In the words of scripture, "...the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ."

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter and take the chance to think about the Savior and His life and teachings during this season. I love how the world renews itself during this time of year with new life abounding all around us. This rebirth in nature to me is symbolic of the resurrection. I know that because of the resurrection, I can be together with my loved ones after we have died.