From Mom August 2, 2015 - A Few Tears Shed

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Dear Riley,

As you likely expected, the biggest family event this week was the passing of Great-Grandpa K.  He passed Friday night at 11:15.  After all the family gathered last Sunday, he lifted and had a final spurt of energy Monday night through Tuesday.  He watched movies with P until midnight that night.  One time when we were over there, I came upon Josie patting his hand and talking to him, “Well, when Heavenly Father wants us to die, that’s when we die.”  I don’t know if you remember, but she was blessed in her baby blessing that angels would attend her in her ministry in this life.  I felt like she really did have angels around her for a few days.  She was easy to be around, though she wasn’t getting her regular sleep or meals.  Last Sunday as we were gathered around Grandpa’s bed, Josie would pull out tissues and take them to people who were crying.  And when she saw tears in Grandpa’s eyes, she would dab them out for him with tenderness.  It was really a sweet time.  Heaven is so close as the veil thins for a stalwart man to pass through.

One day later in the week, I went over with the girls to take the portable CD player so they could have music in Grandpa’s room.  While I was there, Grandma shared some writings of Grandpa’s.  He composed them in 2013, anticipating that he would pass sooner than later.  He testified that he was an eternal being and that he knew God had work for him to complete and that he desired to do all the Lord asked of him.  And if dying was required to get to the work at hand, he didn’t want us to hold him back with our grief.  He spoke of having more love and opportunity than he could have imagined in his long life.  I hope I can send them to you.  

But after reading those, I had Pilgrim Song going through my head for days.  I don’t know that you’ll remember the song, but Cambry sang it in choir her senior year.  The last verse says, “My soul now sits and sings and practices its wings, and contemplates the hour when the messengers shall say, ‘come, quite this house of clay, and with the angels tower!’”  And then this chorus refrain: “My soul doth long to go, where I may fully know the glory of my Savior.  And as I pass along, I’ll sing the Christian song, I’m going to live forever.”  I played it over and over Saturday morning and once for Grandma.  She cried and felt that it was so true to her dad that she wondered if we could accomplish the song for the funeral.  It’s ambitious.  But I think things are falling into place for it to happen.

Grandpa’s funeral will be in California Saturday.  You see?  We weren’t supposed to know what to do for our vacation.  What’s funny is that D was having a devil of a time pinning down her travel plans for her Utah trip this year too.  What do you know.  Sometimes a stupor of thought is best recognized when perspective clears and coming events previously hidden are revealed.

I shed some other tears this week.  TC is friends with Parker and he requested Parker help him get a group date together because T doesn’t know many girls here in Utah.  Parker was just going to set him up, but T didn’t want to go that route.  He asked Parker to call his friends together for a party where he could chose a girl and ask her on the date.  So Friday night several boys and four girls came to the house for games and a movie.  As the party wound down, T had to ask someone -- people were leaving.  As J, a friend from EFY, went to the door, T engaged her in conversation.  He told her, in his deliberate speech, of the date.  She kindly asked him some questions about when and what and so forth.  He asked if she would accompany him and she broke my heart with kind acceptance.  T had gone up to Parker and said, “I can’t do this; I’m so scared.”  Parker assured him that he's been there. He assured him that he was talking with the others and no one would notice.  But of course I did.  Riley, I can’t express how special that moment was to me.  There was so much kindness expressed in so many ways.  And it revolved around my son and his friends.  Remarkable youth.  There is hope for the future.

Parker shed some tears of his own this week.  He asked A to talk with him Tuesday evening.  She let him know that she wasn’t going to be his girlfriend any longer.  They are still friends; she came to the party.  But they are not exclusive.  I think she was put off by all the female attention he got at EFY.  But really, if you like a girl, this is the best way to keep her in High School.  Friends power!

Cambry had tears last night as she had to teach in RS today without a lesson manual.  But she did it!  And it wasn’t an epic fail.  She talked to T at her low and he said he was going to pray that she stay in the calling until she felt comfortable in teaching.

Aleah shed tears as we had the final push to host book group. But the house was clean and sparkly.  I loved the feeling in it which lasted two full days!  The order is cracking, of course, because I can’t keep up with all the little ideas and hands.  But it felt so nice.  It’s kind of a shame to remodel it now.  

But we will.  I made the lemon raspberry cake and a lemon ice cream.  The lemon mousse filling didn’t whip up as frothy as it usually does, but the cake was amazing all the same.  Put your fork down between bites kind of amazing. We had a good turn out which I wasn’t sure we would because July is so crazy with holidays and reunions.  I’m satisfied.

And so concludes our week of tears.  I pray for your protection extra hard after seeing you with monkeys and knowing you rode the railing down the 3790 steps.  Don’t employ the angels so much with safe keeping that they can’t help you speak the words of Christ. ;)

I look forward to hearing about your week.  I prayed also that you would be very efficient so that you can get the most work done with the littlest amount of effort.  The Spirit can make your work much more effective.

We love you so much, sweetheart.  Have a good week.

Love,

Mom