remembering

Thank you to everyone who left comments of thoughts and prayers after my Grandpa died.

I missed including this in my last post. (Jan. 2/08)
Our trip over to the Island went well. Paul had responsibilities at work that he couldn't get away from, and we had also been planning to host a birthday party for our friend Dan on Friday night. He couldn't go to the funeral but met up with us on Saturday. My Dad and I took the boys on Thursday afternoon and we settled in at Paul's Mom's house while Dad went to Duncan. It was very helpful to have him on the ferry with me. Friday morning, we drove just over an hour to Duncan. I met my blog-friend-now-real-life-friend Sharon at a neighbouring church where she had arranged for a friend of hers to watch my two boys, and the three kids of my two cousins. It was an ideal arrangement in a beautiful youth centre, stocked with toys. The lady who watched them was fantastic and it was so good to know they were in such caring and capable hands. I didn't worry about them one bit. And I'm glad that Marty behaved civilly after I left, and didn't fuss at all. Jaxon slept through most of the service, which was meaningful, memorable, sad, and sweet. My Dad presented a beautiful eulogy. All the grandchildren contributed to a tribute read by my cousin Connie. The slideshow was really interesting, despite a wrong wire connection that tinted all the photos fluorescent green. I learned many things I didn't know about him, including that he had been the second oldest Awana leader in BC! Grandpa included a bible verse in every email he sent to my mom and aunt (6 days a week, with phone calls on Sundays). He had a calendar beside his computer and just typed the verse that was next on the list. The verse for Thursday, the day he died ... "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth; yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, and their works do follow them." Revelation 14:13. Amen.

We then made our way to the cemetery for a brief burial service. I was so proud to be driving in the procession, watching as all the traffic and pedestrians stopped out of respect for the observation of a life well lived. Then it was back to the Chapel for refreshments after collecting my boys. It seems my Grandpa knew everybody! There were people at the funeral who we had met when we lived in Prince Rupert (Crumbacks ... for anyone who's curious. Also, a few folks from Coastal Missions.) I spent a few hours with the immediate family still in town at Grandpa's condo. It was nice to soak up one last little dose of the warmth of his home. although his spirit was clearly missing. The boys and I made our way back to Frieda's and went to bed.

Paul's ferry arrived at 12:15 and we had a nice time just being together. We took Frieda out for a birthday lunch at Coombs Market and then the two of them took the big boys for a swim. Jax and I stayed back and watched TLC. We decided not to go to church on Sunday and we were home eating nachos for lunch before 2:00.

I have a bunch of pictures ready to post to catch up on the last few weeks. Stay tuned.