Grandma Marj

On Sunday, we were able to go to dinner at my Uncle Dan and Aunt Suzanne's house. My Grandma was spending the weekend with them. On Monday, she was moving to Arizona to live with my Aunt Jane. It is very possibly the last time I will see my grandma alive. Happily, she has been doing better both physically and mentally since she was moved to a different care facility after my grandpa's death. My grandpa was so frail and so sick for the last several months of his life, that he spent most of the day sleeping. I think my grandma spent most of the day in bed too. But since he is gone and she was moved to a smaller, more home-like facility, her memory has improved and she is getting around better. I hope that she will continue to do well at my Aunt Jane's. But the reality is that she will be in Arizona, and I am here, and my grandma is old. Therefore, I do believe I may never see her again in this life. What a comfort it is to know that even if that is the case, I will see her again after I depart this life. What a reunion that will be!

My grandma has been a wonderful example to me throughout my life! When I was little, we lived just about a mile or two from her house. She was our caregiver after school while my parents worked. We spent summers at her home, playing in her backyard, swimming in their pool, enjoying her wonderful home cooked meals.

Probably the thing I remember the most about my grandma was how willing she was to serve others. She was always taking people to the doctor's office or grocery shopping or tending their children for them for free. She made her home a welcome haven for any kids in the neighborhood that wanted a safe place to play and willingly fed them if they were hungry. She loved children; her own, her grandchildren and everyone else's children.

My grandma also really had a testimony of food storage. She taught numerous classes to her ward and stake about food storage. She taught us often about the importance of having a year's supply...something that I've really been trying to work on for the past several years.

As a child, I can only remember a couple of times (2 or 3) in my life when I had a babysitter other than my grandma and grandpa. She loved us and she loved my mom as much as if my mom were actually her daughter, not just a daughter in law.

Another memory I have is that my grandma loved to draw. She would often draw a paper doll on cardboard or cardstock. Then she would draw a number of different outfits for the paper doll. We would then spend hours decorating the clothing. We rarely actually played with the paper dolls as paper dolls, but we spent many hours of our childhood creating and decorating clothing.

My grandma and grandpa have been such an integral part of my life. I will miss seeing my grandma. God be with you till we meet again, whether in this life or next, Grandma!