The Most Precious Things In Life

That is my grandpa. He is a musician, a writer, a master gardener, a giver, a poet, a yodeler, a story teller, a scriptorian, a man of God. He wrote that little song and pulled me aside to sing it to me when we were in Vernal and it melted my heart!

I think one of the most difficult things about moving halfway across the country is not being near grandparents and great grandparents, especially when age weakens their minds and cripples their bodies. It breaks my heart to think that my kids are missing out on precious, memories, wisdom, and limited time with their great grandparents and grandparents. I feel like I am ripping them off! I feel ripped off too! Even if my grandparents live until they are in their nineties, that means I only have fifteen years or so left with them. That is not enough time! There is so much wisdom and history that they haven't shared with me yet! I still haven't learned how to knit my Grandma Powell's slippers or mastered her salsa recipe. I haven't learned how to make my Grandma DeeLo's macaroni salad or learned about her grandparents and who are in all of those old family photos, and I haven't received one of my Grandpa Powell's scripture study journals or taken harmonica lessons from him yet! Someday all of the stories, recollections, dates about their parents, grandparents, wars, the great depression, their life lessons, will pass away with them and it will be my responsibility to pass on what I can remember of them. I am not ready for that mantel to be placed on my shoulders. Life is so fleeting and those really important things become all too precious when we realize how limited our time is with those we love most. I feel blessed that I still have four grandparents living, that I can learn from and since I don't have the luxury of living near them I will make the most of phone calls, letters, photos, and visits so that I will have many more lasting and cherished memories of them until we can resume our special relationships in the eternities.