Today I was privileged to attend the memorial service for my Grandmother in San Clemente, California. Originally the service was supposed to be last weekend, but I had already planned my trip to Northern California and I was super torn if I should cancel the trip, but it was tricky because my friend was visiting from Switzerland and she had already bought her tickets and planning on meeting me there and my dad told me to do that because the real gift was all being together for Thanksgiving and I was one of the last ones to see her and that is more special than going to the service. I agreed, but I REALLY wanted to go to the service. My uncle ended up not being able to come to Utah so they decided to have a service in Utah last weekend for everyone that lived in Utah and one today for everyone in California. Since it was a holiday weekend and I get time off of work for bereavement, I was able to go with my parents to California this weekend. I am SO happy that worked out. It was a triple bonus really... I was able to go to the service, I was able to spend another weekend away from the cold weather and go to warm weather AND I was able to spend the weekend with family and meet my cousin Lisa's newborn baby and HOLD her... which I loved every minute of.
The service was so special. It was small and intimate and sweet and exactly what Grandma wanted. Just her kids, grandkids and great grandkids. Each one of her kids spoke, we had an opening and closing prayer and opening song. There was time for anyone who wanted to say something they could and it closed with the great grandkids singing "I am a child of God". It was a beautiful service with a lot of sweet words and memories of sweet Grandma who was loved VERY much and is missed just as much. A lot of tears. So glad I was able to be there. Everyone got a program, a picture of Grandma and a bag of gum balls with a note with a penny attached to the back because when we went to visit Grandma, we would always get gum from the gum ball machine and she always had penny's by the machine so we could get some whenever we wanted. Grandma was the best.
Lori wore one of Grandma's dresses. I recognized it right away. I thought that was so special to wear her dress to the service. And it fits Lori perfectly.
At the end of the service we also got white balloons to let go of all together outside after the service. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful view and so neat to let go of those balloons and watch them go up into the sky which was reminding us that Grandma is now our angel in the heavens watching over us.
1 comment:
That really sounds like a special service. I love that Lori wore one of her dresses, I swear I remember that one! I probably would have been crying my eyes out if I were there. Thanks for the report and for the pictures. It made me feel a little bit like I was there. Also, I'm glad I saw the quilt in that first picture. For some reason I thought that it was lost in the mail or something and that Grandma never got it! But I saw the square I made for Asher, so I know it is the quilt I was thinking of. I'm glad it wasn't lost after all.
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