This week has been full of wonderful and beautiful experiences:
I introduced my children to snow. As the flakes fell, I scooped a small handful and showed a delighted Janie how the individual specks melted as they touched my skin. We stuck our tongues out to catch the monster flakes. We threw snowballs and built a snowman. We drove up onto the mountainside and looked out across the wide, dusted valley below.
I visited my college campus. I returned to old classrooms and study nooks. We bought Thomas an Alma Mater t-shirt. We showed the kids where we met, where we worked, where we went on dates. Jay and I checked out our old apartments, our old church building, and our favorite places to eat, and even went shopping at our old supermarket.
I had wonderful temple experiences. I was able to assist my grandmother in the eternal sealing of her deceased grandparents, and participated in or witnessed the sealing ordinances of over forty other couples in two different temples. For the first time, I was able to see first-hand the changes that were made when the Provo Tabernacle became the Provo City Center Temple. This gave my heart joy, because I had loved the building in its tabernacle form. I had cried when I watched it burn and for days after as I could smell the ruin from our home only a few blocks away. I had rejoiced when they announced its resurrection and to finally see the finished product was astounding. Along with entering two temples, I visited the grounds of two others and saw from a distance seven others. How glorious it is to have so many beautiful places of worship in such close proximity!
I witnessed a military funeral. My grandfather spent years in the U.S. Army. My uncle serves in the Navy and my father and older brother are in the Air Force. Because of his service, Grandpa was honored with a full military burial. I watched as the flag-covered casket was removed from the hearse, carried by my father, two uncles, my great-uncle, both of my brothers, my cousin, and a family friend who served with my grandfather. Shots were fired. TAPS was played. My brother and uncle folded grandpa's flag and I stood right behind my grandmother as my father presented her with it and thanked her in behalf of the President of the United States of America. It was the only moment this week during which I cried.
I became friends with more family. Distance, emotions, health and age have long kept my family apart. Grandpa's death reunited us in a way that hasn't happened in almost two decades. Every one of my father's siblings were there. The last time they were all together was when the last of them was married. I met a cousin I had not seen since he was two; he is now seventeen. I met two other cousins I had last seen five years ago when they were two and three years old. I met my father's step-sister for the first time, an aunt I hadn't even known I had until I was married. I met my grandmother's three great-grandchildren that don't come from my father's line. I organized the photographing of all eight great-grandchildren and some wonderful pictures were taken.
I spent time with Jay's family. He has two siblings living in Utah and we got the opportunity to meet up with both of them! Since Berto was only two weeks old when Jay's youngest sister got married, I was unable to attend, so this was my first meeting with my new brother-in-law. I also met Jay's younger brother's girlfriend. It was so nice to be able to visit with them and catch up.
There were so many more sweet memories made this week that I could go on and on about but my plane is about to land, finalizing the end of this remarkable trip. I could never have imagined something so generally sad (a funeral) being the catalyst of so many things so wonderful.
