Grandma's Funeral

The funeral for Joseph's grandma was a celebration of an amazing, industrious, full life. I felt honored and blessed to attend and to be among her proud family. The service was so beautiful and enriching. Of course I cried my way through most of it as I saw the love and heartache her children felt for her and how they would miss their mother. I also sat next to my crying husband and I knew he was missing her and saying goodbye through that event. I did cry many tears of joy though as I knew Grandma was released from her ailing body, finally reunited with her children that had died so young, and of course reunited with her very best friend and true partner in life—her husband. Joseph and a big group of cousins sang a beautiful arrangement of Be Still My Soul, Ruth Ann gave an excellent talk and honored her mother (and her namesake) so well. And Joseph's cousin James played a gorgeous medley of hymns on the piano—and I always love to hear him play.

I also felt so lucky to have known Ruth for 13 years, to have a lovely handmade quilt from her for a wedding gift, to have lived in the same "little house" she lived in many many years before, to have dropped by her home a few times when I was over at my moms and seen her in action on a puzzle, to have Luke playing daily on the quilt she made for Bentley when he was a newborn, to have had her in my home for the blessings of my children and to have loved her and been loved by her since I met Joseph.

Our little family had a chance to see her just 2 days before she passed away. She was sleeping soundly and we tried to wake her and visit a little but she was just too sleepy and couldn't really come out of her slumber. We sat quietly in her room with her, looked at all her prized possessions—mainly pictures of her huge extended family, held her hand and hoped she knew we had been there to say goodbye. Joseph was so sweet stroking her hair and then leaning down to gently kiss her forehead. I only hope my future grandsons would feel close enough to me to do the same—it was such a loving gesture.

The day was pretty long with the burial down in Pleasant Grove and then a huge family dinner back in Holladay—long but good. We left the kids with my mom during the funeral but took them to the graveside and the dinner. They had a great time playing with all their LeBaron cousins. And we loved the chance to be with family too. It isn't very often that Joseph's siblings are all in town together these days. Makes me think of when we were first married and would hang out with the whole family (except those on missions) at every Sunday dinner. Needless to say, I grew rather fond of all of them. I do miss those days. Simpler times for sure!

Pictures from the day:

 Rob (only in-law who's been the family longer than me!) with Luke & Joseph

 Nanny with 2 of her sisters Marty (on her left) and Andrea (on her right)

 half of the pallbearers (notice cute little Samuel, Joseph's cousin who is the same age as Bentley)

 

 Ruth Ann and her siblings