Well... what can I say other than it's been a painful month. I won't go into exactly why, but I will go into the incredible goodness of God and the power of the Atonement as a healing agent. The power that comes from turning your heart over to Him when you can't move forward and leaning on the small rays of sunshine that are surprisingly still present even in a torrential storm. No one chooses pain. We spend our entire life trying to escape or prevent it. Nevertheless, it is only in the midst of pain that we can wake up and see our life and ourselves more clearly. And we can see God.
So, I am managing and making it through, in large part due to that power of presence and Godly strength. And also in large part due to friends and family who have rallied around our family with an unbelievable amount of love and support. Dinners, activities for the kids, flights out to visit, flowers, cakes, treats, cards, music, a big book of letters from so many loved ones, blankets, poems, scriptures, phone calls, seminary brought to Grant when he couldn't bring himself to leave the house, healing books, scripture soccer balls, special bracelets and earrings for the girls, check ins and so much more. I tried to take pictures of some of the loving tokens people sent this month, but I didn't document it all! I hope to one day be a support to another in just a fraction of the way my kids and I felt support this past month. My heart is full.
Aside from the heartbreak mentioned above, our family honored Grandpa's life at the beginning of the month with friends and family from near and far. We sang "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and Evelyn sang "The Miracle". Blake gave the eulogy- which was wonderful. I collected memories from Herb's children and grandchildren and spoke on the themes present in his life: family is everything, learning is a significant part of life, kindness and generosity trumps all. We loved honoring Grandpa and connecting with the extended family along with old friends. It was a beautiful service for an incredible man.
Other highlights of the month:
Watching conference felt incredibly uplifting this year. The entire family has been into puzzling lately and that's mostly what we did while listening. We felt the spirit and it was a good day. Visits from Aunt Michelle, Aunt Jamie and Grammy- lots of baking, cleaning out pantries, cabinets and fridges, filing paperwork and even registering the car. Celebrating Rachel's 40th birthday Taylor Swift style. Going out for my birthday to Prince of Egypt at Moonlight Theatre, along with nails and dinner. Labor Day boating with the kids minus Grant who was on a surf trip with his two best buddies: Kai and Cal. They surfed all along the California Coast and had a blast. Side note: Grant competed for Poway High's surf team last weekend and made it to the semi finals! He's amazing! Young women events: creating flower bouquets, Where's Maldo at the mall, and a special career night-- all fabulous activities.
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Grant spending time at the temple with friends, fishing every Friday night, asking a girl out to his first dance: Homecoming! Grant practicing driving all over town in his new truck- he's only a few weeks away from his license. Evelyn spending every day with cousin Katie now that she's up at BYU. SUCH fun times for both of them. Working hard at nursing school and starting to date again! Anna spending every day, every MOMENT with friends- getting nails done, hanging at the beach, rodeos, Lake Arrowhead for Scarlett's birthday, Friday Night Lights with the 8th grade boys, sleepovers at Silver's. She is living her best life. Dane meeting some of the SDFC players at a downtown game and working SO hard at school. Volunteering at Transcend Behavioral Health. These kids are truly the BEST kids on earth and I don't know how I ended up so blessed to be their mom.
