Funeral Trip

In January, my mom's mom, Grandma Carole, passed away. She'd been sick for a while, so it wasn't a complete surprise, but her health did decline quickly at the end, so it was a bit abrupt. I've never lived close to my grandma, so I never had a very close relationship with her. Her death wasn't extremely difficult for me personally, but I did feel really sad for my mom. When I put myself in her shoes and tried to imagine if MY mom died, my heart broke for her. I will be devastated when that happens to me. Good thing my mom will never die because she practically looks younger than me.

 

The funeral was in Utah, but I didn't really entertain the idea of going because I didn't think I could afford it and I didn't have many extra days to take off of school. It wasn't until my sister asked if I was going, because she was thinking about going, that I even realized this was something I could really do. I checked into it at school, and they gave me 3 extra days off for bereavement, and you better believe I took every single one. I don't mess around when it comes to days off. Especially when they're extra on top of what I get normally. Being able to leave on a Wednesday instead of a Friday also brought the ticket price down quite a bit so I could afford it.

 

An added bonus of flying in on Wednesday was that I would get there early enough to go with my mom and dad to drop Thomas off at the MTC. This wasn't part of my plans at all when I booked the flight, but I was super excited about it. Unfortunately, my flight out of Indianapolis was delayed almost an hour, and I missed my connecting flight in Denver by about 10 minutes. So I had to sit in the Denver airport for a few hours before being able to fly to Salt Lake and I missed Thomas' MTC drop-off. I was super bummed, especially since I hadn't really said goodbye to Thomas in Indiana because I was planning to see him again in Utah.

 

Jaime had recently told me that she and a group of our good girl friends were getting together for dinner that Wednesday night. When I scheduled my flight for Wednesday morning, I was so excited that I'd be able to be there for that dinner! I thought it would be fun to surprise the girls - I'd just show up with Jaime and they wouldn't know. Then I realized that Jaime didn't even have to know! She had already told me where they were going, so in casual conversation that day I asked her what time they were meeting. I had my dad drop me off, and I just walked up to their table. The surprise was fun, although I think it was honestly more fun to anticipate the surprise. I was smiling about it for days beforehand, just waiting to see the looks on their faces. Unfortunately, a couple of our friends weren't able to make it to the dinner that night so I didn't get to see them. :( I love these girls and miss them so much. I've made friends here in Indiana that are great, but this group is one of a kind. I feel like they're my soul sisters.

 

 

That night I went home with Jaime and spent the next day and a half with her and her family. I was able to go see Joey and Michelle's house (her sister and brother-in-law), which they're remodeling, and I got to play with her cute nieces and nephews. The next day she and I met Tessa for lunch and I went back to Bountiful with Tessa to help with funeral preparations.

Saturday morning was the funeral. It was a really nice ceremony with lots of music and personal experiences and testimonies from my grandma's two sisters and each of her kids. I sang "I Know My Redeemer Lives," which was going really well until the end. I'd made a point not to look at anyone during the song because I didn't want to start crying. Then on the last verse, emotion hit me out of nowhere and I couldn't even sing for a minute. The power of the words hit me - "He Lives, all glory to His name. He Lives, my Savior still the same. Oh sweet, the joy this sentence gives. I know that my Redeemer lives." What a powerful testimony during such a difficult time. Our Savior lives. He overcame death, and because of that we, too, will overcome death and have the opportunity to live again. Our spirits are eternal and they never die, and someday our bodies will be resurrected in full glory so that we can go on living eternally in a perfect body. The day before we'd dressed my grandma's body for the funeral, and she looked so frail and small and lifeless. But I know that she will rise again in youthful splendor. And I know her spirit goes on living now, and I know she's working to help bring about God's purposes on the other side of the veil. That knowledge is what overcame me as I was singing. I couldn't get it together in time to sing the rest of the song, but I did manage to speak the last few lines, which just repeat "I know that my Redeemer lives." All I wanted in that moment was for my family members who were struggling with my grandma's death to know that I knew that she was still living and because of our Savior she would be resurrected.

At the gravesite, we all sang "I Know My Father Lives," which was really sweet and my dad dedicated her grave. Right at the end of his dedicatory prayer, the sun came out and warmed us all up. It was a really sweet, symbolic moment of the Savior's love and the promise of better days ahead.

Both my cousin Elise and I were named after my grandma - Carole Rose. Elise Rose and Kaley Rose.

Even though my grandma's death wasn't a huge struggle for me personally, I was so glad I went to support my mom. Her strength and testimony of the gospel and plan of salvation were inspiring. She was a strength to everyone at that funeral.

Afterwards, my aunt's ward put on a luncheon at their church for all of our family. I'm always so touched by these loving acts of service that members of the church give. Most of those people didn't know our family but served willingly, and I love that. One of my favorite things about our church is how well it takes care of its own.

After the lunch, we were all pretty tired. Funerals are emotionally exhausting. We went back to the hotel and vegged for a while, then my mom and dad, Tessa, Jaime, and I went downtown Salt Lake to look around the Gateway a bit and have sushi at Happy Sumo. Happy Sumo is my favorite part of every trip to Utah, and I was so excited to introduce it to my family. It was my mom's first time having sushi, and she loved it. It's so good. You guys. IT'S SO GOOD. I can't even explain how much I love this place. I also just really love my family. I loved combining these two things that I love so much.

The next morning my dad and Tessa flew out super early. My mom, Jaime, and I got up and went to Music and the Spoken Word at the Tabernacle. It was Jaime's first time, even though she's lived in Utah most of her life. It was a really nice way to start a Sunday.

I flew home that evening. My flight was right at sunset, and I loved flying over the snowy mountains. I always think of "America the Beautiful" when I see the mountains at sunset, "For purple mountain majesties..." What a blessing this beautiful earth is to us. I always feel my Heavenly Father's love when I take in the natural wonders that we get to see for free. They're the most beautiful sights in the world, and they're His gift to us.