My grandma

My grandma passed away this morning in a car accident. It was a huge shock. I love my grandma sooooooo much! I had a very close relationship with her because we grew up less than a 5 minute drive from her house, went to the same church, and she was pretty much a part of my daily life when I lived with my parents and continued to be even into my adulthood.

Grandma was one of the most amazing people I have ever known. She was incredibly service oriented and willing to help anyone at any time. If I ever told her I needed something, she would be out looking for it at a garage sale or on some super sale at a department store the next day (she was a huge bargain shopper).

I have so many fond memories of cousin slumber parties at her house, eating popcorn (with cheese powder on it... yum), and watching movies. She also always had a fun new card or dice game to teach us. She was known for never wanting her granddaughters to cut their hair (funny since she always had short hair, even growing up) and always complimented me on my long blonde hair. She loved to hear me play the piano and sing and I always knew that in her mind I was a beautiful, talented person who could do anything. What more could you ask for in a grandmother?

When I went on my church mission, my grandma wrote me every single week. Her letters were always so sweet and encouraging and the fact that she took the time to write them was a true testament of her love for me. She knew that Byron was "waiting" for me while I was gone and she always claimed she prayed us together. She loved Byron and prayed the whole time that he wouldn't find someone else and we'd end up getting married when I got back. She never let me forget that she took credit for keeping us together through those 18 months I was gone. As soon as Byron got a job with Caterpillar, she bought a bunch of Cat stock (investing was another big hobby of hers) and was always trying to get the inside of info on the company's performance.

Since I have become a mother myself, I've loved watching my grandma interact with my kids. She was so hands on with them, going straight to the playroom at my parents house to sit on the floor and play with Lila and Miles whenever we came to visit. She was always on the lookout for toys she knew they'd like at garage sales and they were pretty much guaranteed to get some little gift every time we saw her.

Grandma was talented in so many ways. She was a very gifted artist and created portraits of many of her grandchildren when we were young. I wish I inherited that talent from her! She was a fabulous teacher even though she always claimed to be super nervous and never feel adequate for all of the many teaching positions she held in the church. She had a huge love of the scriptures and was such an amazing example of diligent gospel study. She was known for having the greenest of green thumbs and I swear she could make anything grow anywhere.

I've also never seen a harder worker in my life. She could outwork people decades younger than her, including me and Byron. Last summer she came down with my dad to visit and ended up working out in our yard so long that we had to ask her to stop since we were tired and felt guilty leaving little old grandma outside working while we rested! She pulled weeds, prepared soil, planted, tore out a huge wall of ivy (quite a job!), and tons more. She had a true love of work, something I know I need to strive harder to develop.

The joy of her life was her family and she has left us with quite a legacy. We have a lot to live up to with her memory to honor. I will miss her more than I can possibly express. I know that she and my grandfather, who passed away more than ten years ago, are having a joyful reunion along with their son Jeff who died in his 20's and many other family members.

Grandma had a hilarious sense of humor and one of her classic self-depricating jokes was that when she died, her grandchildren would all sing "Ding dong the witch is dead" at her funeral! That will definitely NOT be sung of course, but I'm sure she would have quite the laugh if we did sing it just to fulfill her request.

Our church children's songbook has a song called "Grandmother" that sums up how I feel about my grandma.

You give me a kiss.

You give me a hug.

You smile when you see me too.

I wish every girl in the whole wide world had a grandmother just like you.

You read me a book.

You sing me a song.

You whisper you love me too.

I wish every girl in the whole wide world had a grandmother just like you.

I'll try to be good; I'll do as I should.

I'll whisper, "I love you too."

I wish every child in the whole wide world had a grandmother just like you.

Thank you grandma for being someone I could always look up to, someone who always cheered me on and believed in me, and someone who was sincerely interested in my life. I always loved your little saying, "I love you the mostest." Miles says it all the time now and whenever we use that saying in our family, I'll always think of you and how much love I always felt when I was around you.