Remembering

January 28th and 29th are two significant days in my life. Yesterday-January 28 is my Grandpa's birthday. He would have been 87 years old. Sadly he passed away almost 2 years ago and I miss him very much. I miss his bowl full of jelly laugh. I miss his singing. He was always singing a funny little tune. "Mmm Mmm Good, Mmm Mmm Good, that's why Campbell's soup is Mmm Mmm Good." I smile every time I hear it. He always sang that song and chuckled. I love peanut butter cups and ice cream because of my grandpa. I treasure the things he taught me. He taught me how to garden and how to care for roses, the best way to remove dandelions. All those things I never thought that I would use I consider some of my precious lessons from him.

Today-January 29 is the 20 year anniversary of my Grandmas death. I will never forget January 27, 1990. My grandma suffered a stroke that left her brain dead. We kept her on life support machines long enough for my Aunt who lived in North Carolina to get to Utah. On January 28, the doctors informed us that she was brain dead and suggested they turn off the life support machines. My dad pulled the doctor aside and told them we couldn't do it that day because it was my grandpas birthday. She left this earthly life the following day surrounded by her family and into the arms of our Heavenly Father. I will never forget my grandma and the lessons she taught me. The things that remind me of grandma are peaches, pine-sol, BYU football, May I, Genealogy and Hickory Farms, Christmas and New Years. Just to name a few.

• Grandma taught me how to bottle peaches-I remember when I was about 13 years old she sent grandpa out to pick all the peaches off the tree. We stood there all day long washing, peeling, slicing and canning those peaches.
  
• It was always a guarantee that on Saturday mornings I could walk into grandma and grandpas house and smell pine-sol. That was her favorite thing to clean with. She was always singing to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and wearing her house coat. To this day I clean my house with pine-sol because it reminds me of her.
  
• You will never find anyone on the face of this earth who was a bigger BYU football fan than grandma. I think that's why I'm such a huge fan too. I loved sitting with her watching football games.
  
• My grandma's second love-next to my grandpa was doing genealogy. She literally spent hours working on genealogy. She was such a great example. She loved the church. She held Family Home Evening with our family every Sunday night and taught me the importance of scripture study. She was the most amazing person and I will truly cherish the memories I have with her.

I know she is with us, she knows what is going on with our families and will always love us. I was blessed to be able to be close with my loved ones who have left this earthly life. I have had countless experiences with those who have passed on. They are too sacred to share, but I know first hand that my grandma" loves us and she will always be here for us." She has told me this herself.
I am so grateful for the plan of salvation, to know that this is not the end and that our family members who have passed on still live. They are learning and progressing just as we are. I am so grateful to both my grandma and my grandpa for the innumerable lessons they taught me and continue to teach me. I love you both and miss you so much!!