Boise and Remembering Grandpa

The night before we left for Idaho, I got a phone call from my mom. My grandpa had been in a terrible car accident that afternoon and they gave him 12 hours to live. We have gotten phone calls like this in the past after he had strokes and other illnesses, so it took awhile for it to sink in that it was real this time. While I was sad that we couldn't be there to say good bye and wished that we had planned our trip a little bit sooner so we could have seen him one last time, I am so grateful that I was able to be there for the funeral. I'm grateful that my kids were able to be there and have such a positive first experience with death. We were able to have some good discussions about the Spirit World and were able to talk about how Grandpa is now with his parents and other family that have passed on, and that we will get to see him again someday. It was all stuff we had talked about before, but it hit home in a new way this time. The viewing was really special. They spent a long time looking at him and we talked a lot about how our spirits leave our bodies and get to be with Jesus again. I really am grateful for that knowledge. I am grateful to know that Grandpa is free of the ailments and illnesses that have plagued his body for so long. I will miss his hugs, his jokes, and his stories (he had a lot of great stories), and I look forward to that day when I will see him again.

When I first heard about Grandpa's passing, my mind went back to when I was 9 or 10 years old. Grandma and Grandpa had come to visit us in Texas, which was a rare, special treat. I was wearing a blue sweater with several white bows all over it (gotta love those 90's!). Grandpa came up and put his arm around me and said something about me liking boys. Embarrassed, I asked what he meant. He replied, "well, you've got a lot of beaus"....beaus-boyfriends, but it sounds like bows. He had to explain it to me, but thought it was the most clever thing ever! For some reason, that has always stuck with me and is one of the first things I think of when I think of Grandpa. It is just him. :)

There were several displays at the viewing and I learned a lot about Grandpa from them...for example, I had NO idea he played the guitar! I loved learning these little tidbits, both at the viewing and the next day at the funeral.

 

I love this picture of my mom with her mom

It was so great to be able to see so many cousins...all but 2 of Grandma and Grandpa's 50+ grandkids were there! Most of them I hadn't seen in at least 10 years, some of them much longer. 

 They honored Grandpa for his military service and presented Grandma with the flag.

 

After the funeral several of us gathered at my uncle's house for a barbecue. There were a LOT of people crowded into his house and spilling out into the backyard, but it was fun. It's been a long time since I've been to one of those gatherings. 

While in Boise we were able to spend some time with Grandma Lorraine, my dad's mom. For as long as I can remember, she has always had the freezer on her porch stocked full of Schwann's ice cream, particularly the English toffee bars and orange push ups. The kids remembered this from last year and were so excited to visit "the grandma with the orange popsicles".

She also treated them to a few rides on her motorized cart. This was always one of my favorite things to do when I visited her as a child and I loved watching my kids enjoy it with her too.

One last little visit with Grandma Danes before we left town

While in Boise, the kids and I were also able to make it to Jon's grandparent's family reunion (he wasn't able to come to Idaho until the next week). It was a fairly brief stop, with everything else going on, but it wouldn't be a trip to Boise without visiting Nana and Papa.

Those few days in Boise were really good. Family came together, miracles happened, and we saw the Lord's hand in things over and over again. I loved hearing so many stories of tender mercies and miracles that occurred between Grandpa's passing and the funeral. And I left with a renewed determination to focus on those things that are most important.