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Sunday, January 13, 2013

Heritage



We went to the funeral of Rustin's grandpa this last Saturday. Though Grandpa Geisler was technically Rustin's grandpa I think of him as mine also.  I spent more time with Grandpa G than I did with my own grandparents.  We lived near them in Pocatello for five years and we spent a lot of time at their home.  I still have their address and phone number memorized.

So many experiences will stay with me:

We usually did our laundry at their house.  To get to the laundry room I would walk past grandpa's impressive workshop of model airplanes. If I ever forgot and left a load in the dryer I would find it neatly folded or hung in the laundry room.

Grandpa planted carrots in a big plot on the side of the house.  In the fall he would cover them with leaves so we could eat carrots out of the garden even in the middle of winter.

We crashed their house for many a Sunday dinner. Grandma would serve us slices of slightly frozen fruitcake with pecan  ice cream.  It was the first time I learned that I love fruit cake.  Actually I think I only love Grandma's fruitcake...

One year we had to make a pinewood derby car for a college ward activity.  We went to Grandpa's to borrow one of his many tools and he warned us that the jig saw probably wouldn't be strong enough to cut through the wood.  We tried it anyway and broke the blade.  I'm not sure we ever got a new blade.  Sorry about that...

When we found out we were having twins we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house and told them before we called any of our family.

One year just before we moved to Tennessee our car had to have a door repainted.  We took it to grandpa and he fixed it right up.  He did that for a couple of our cars... He was always working on a car or a model airplane.  When we got to Tennessee we sent them the $60 or so dollars that the supplies had cost.  A week later we got the money back with a note that they thought we needed the money more than they did.  At the time $60 was several months worth of flexible spending money.  It was a huge blessing.

The kids remember one Sunday afternoon when we stopped at their house on our way home from Franklin and we sat and visited in their living room.  Grandpa told us about how he and Grandma used to go dancing. There was another boy who wanted to take grandma home so he and grandpa went outside and had a boxing match to see who got the honor.  Grandpa won.

One of my most vivid memories was last year.  Grandma and Grandpa were at our house visiting and I was sitting on the floor with grandma and grandpa on the couch in front of me.  Grandma asked me if I had heard their news: Grandpa had just been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.  We talked about what they had been told to expect (which wasn't much--no one knew how fast the disease would spread...) and I asked Grandpa how he felt about it.  As we talked I could feel the sorrow and fear and sadness pour through his words.

I swallowed back a horse sized lump in my throat the entire time.  I wanted to weep.

How painful and terrifying to know that you are about to lose yourself?!

And grandpa was so worried about grandma.

But both of them expressed their knowledge that they knew the Lord would be with them and that this would be just one more trial to get through.  Grandpa didn't often talk about spiritual things so this was special.  The spirit was so strong and sweet.  I feel like I shared a moment that will be recorded for eternity.  At least for me.  Faith in the face of fear and sadness is such a great example.  I feel so privileged to have been able to talk to grandpa that day.

Grandpa passed away just a few months later.  He did begin to get more and more confused and I know it was hard for Grandma.  One day he broke a little porcelain bird, and being the fix-it kind of guy he always was, he glued it back together.  Only he glued the wing to the table! How funny and tragic at the same time!

Another summer afternoon when we stopped by we went out on the lawn to fly the airplanes that Grandpa always had for the kids.  He went to sit down in a lawn chair but he was fully four feet away from the chair he thought he was sitting in.  Rustin caught him in the nick of time.  A few months later it was a fall that quickly lead to the physical decline of Grandpa.

We are so grateful that the end went as quickly and peacefully as it did.  Grandpa passed away with his wife and kids at his bedside.  He left us with a heritage of hard work and love and commitment.  I'm so grateful for the temple covenants that put grandpa on my own family history chart.  I'm thankful my husband was nurtured by his grandfather and I know that the lessons he learned have been and will be passed on to our own kids.   I know we will have a smiling face to greet us when we complete our own earthly journey.


Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

 We LOVE the frightful weather!  We were so happy to have a couple of big storms move in after Christmas.  We dusted off our boots and pulled out the sleds.  


 Sledding in Franklin

We had a lot of fun with our Hatch cousins down in Franklin.  Thanks to the great example of Grandma Geisler (LoaLee's mom),  the Hatch family always makes Christmas parties and reunions a top priority.  

The driveway is the perfect length and slope for Darren's awesome collection of restored runner sleds.  




 Sledding at home

We don't have an awesome sledding driveway so we make do with the 4-wheeler! What you can't see from the pictures is the beautiful effect of bits of 'glitter' gently blowing all around in the air.  So pretty.  


Monday, January 7, 2013

2012 rhyme


It seems that 2012 came and went in a flash.  We are so grateful to know that each year just gets better!

Here's the Christmas rundown from the resident non-poet:


For Christmas this year,
our time flew right past.
Things never slow down--
We've learned from the past.


Jackson was fun--
the tree he destroyed,
We've learned to expect this
from cute little boys!

For sweet little Jenna,
a package with bows,
will tickle her fancy
right down to her toes!

Dal and Lan were injured--
it drives us insane.
ski trip's were desired
but their knees were a  'Pain!'

For Austin this year
Santa Clause had an 'inkling'
Each day on the computer
his wishlist was blinking.

The lists were all easy,
a new game or too,
is all that is needed
to make wishes come true.

Eleven straight years,
the requests are the same--
a new kind of weapon
will make a fun game.
(swords, bows and arrows, air soft, Bee-bee guns etc...)

Our Benson is kind,
he rarely complains,
He's happy at Christmas--
Even when it rains!

We spent our last Christmas
with dear Grandpa G--
The whole family together
at the Christmas party.

Our loved ones---their kindness
and help gets us through,
We all need each other--
alone just won't do.

2012 was a great year
we bid it adieu!
2013 will be busy
with good things to do!

We're grateful for love
and eternities of joy,
that surely will come
as Christ's help we employ.

Previous Christmas poems (for what it's worth...)--HereHere, Here and Here