Grandpa Hinckley

Thanks to my sister-in-law, Lindsay, for sending this link! It is a link to President Hinckley’s grandson’s blog where they have a lovely video slideshow of “Grandpa Hinckley.” (Please read this entire post before viewing it.)

Remembering Grandpa Hinckley

I started several times to post a comment on this blog, but I couldn’t bring myself to comment as I felt a bit like an intruder on their family grief. We love him as our prophet, but he is even more to them—a father, grandfather, great grandfather. I’m passing this along to share the beauty and humanity that is Gordon B. Hinckley, but I hope that everyone will respect their space and family more than their own desire to be heard. May we pass this along and share in this with one another without intrusion on their sorrow as well as their joy.

One of the most poignant pictures on that video montage for me is the one of him crying at his dear wife’s funeral. It brought me to tears. I’m so happy for them that they are together. It was even more touching to watch that video with a couple of days of reading this comment from this post on Feminist Mormon Housewives:

#18. One of the sweetest experiences of my life was listening to Pres. Hinckley speak at the General Relief Society Meeting in October 2003. Earlier that year I had lost my mother and father in the space of four months and was struggling with my own grief and sense of overwhelming loss.

Toward the end of Pres. Hinckley’s remarks he said the following about his dear wife Marjorie:

For 66 years we have walked together, hand in hand, with love and encouragement, with appreciation and respect. It cannot be very long before one of us will step through the veil. I hope the other will follow soon. I just would not know how to get along without her, even on the other side, and I would hope that she would not know how to get along without me.

I realized what a blessing it was for my parents to be together, even though I miss their earthly companionship. They truly did need each other just as much on the other side as they did here on earth.

Although I am sad to see him go, I am so happy for President Hinckley!

*******

May he rest in peace with his sweet Marjorie (isn’t she adorable?!). Godspeed, President Hinckley. You are an amazing prophet and leader and are so loved. Please give my Daddy a big hug, okay?

Bedraggled

I've come across yet more pictures. Not sure how I missed this one. We all look so bedraggled in this picture. We'd gotten there the day before. This is from Christmas Day. My Dad died about a week after that. We love him and are grateful to have been with him this past holiday, even though it was difficult and sad, too. We miss him.

A word about comments

Thank you, everyone who has taken the time to comment (and those who are yet to comment). I've been holing up at home, not feeling much like being out and about, and your comments (all of them from all of you) have really given me a boost. I'm really touched by your sincerity. I know it's not always easy to know what to say, but the fact that you're saying anything at all coupled with the beautiful things you've all said really means a lot to me.

I've wanted to share the posts yet I'd been putting it off, not sure if I had it in me to rehash and deal with seeing it all, etc., and sure enough it was HARD to do. I cried. I got angry. I got sad.

And then I read your comments. And I felt a little bit better. You've helped me gain some perspective. I know there are various "stages of grief" and I know that anger and sadness are on there, so I'm not beating myself up about feeling those things, but it's nice to have a little ray from all of you reaching out in sympathy. So, thank you.

Gordon B. Hinckley Dies

President Hinckley died a couple of hours ago. I really like Emily's tribute as well as the one on Feminist Mormon Housewives (a beautiful tribute sung to the tune of "Praise to the Man").

Daddy, get a hug this time, okay? ;)

LOTS of posts

Okay, so I've posted about 12 posts. Please comment on any and all. Holing up as I am, I do enjoy your comments. I'm emotionally drained from a day of journaling and going through pictures and posting. For it to make more sense chronologically, scroll way down and work your way up as you read the posts or use the menu to the side on the right. Anyway, enjoy.

12-Visiting My Dad's Grave

Visiting my Dad's Grave . . . how can that be?

These are the flowers from me--look closely and you can see a tennis ball.

We visited my Vavo and Vavo's grave. I miss my Vavo a lot. It's so strange to think that my mother is both orphaned and widowed. She says that means we have to be nice to her.

Back in PA with my Mom:

11-Uncle Joe

I think I give this guy a "Thumbs Sideways."

10-I don't know what to call these . . .

I feel funny calling these Family Photos because the whole family isn't there. Dammit. Dammit dammit dammit. I miss my Daddy. I knew it would be hard to go through these pictures. Dammit.





These are from the day of my Dad's funeral and interment. We all look so tired. It had been a long, emotionally draining day.

9-After the Funeral

Impromptu, the entire extended family got together afterward and it was so good to all be together--we all felt sad and there was a definite strangeness and a big, huge void, but we laughed and enjoyed and loved one another and we hope my Dad can see that.

After a very lengthy and confusing discussion about how we're all related 10 times over plus some, Johnny pipes up with, "So, wait a minute, Ma. Let me see if I get this. So, then that means me and Lucy . . . we're brother and sister?" ROTFL!

Hey look, my brother's asleep again!

8-Dad's Funeral

At the funeral parlor on the morning of the funeral--look at all those flowers:


The casket has a "Memory Drawer" so you're able to put in pictures and notes. Here are a bunch of paintings and drawings and notes from K and M to Vavo. The painting is one from K that's been hanging in Vavo's room to cheer him up. The cute ink drawing is from M. The postits are additional pictures from the kids--stuff he likes (bananas, etc.) and pictures of K playing checkers with Vavo, etc.

The pallbearers exiting the funeral parlor to go to church for the funeral:

After the funeral . . . our view from the Limo of the pallbearers getting to the graveside:
The pallbearers (this still doesn't seem real, for the record): Jim, Brother Silvia, Bob (my cousin), Steve (my cousin), Manny, and my cousin Johnny. I don't know why/how I didn't get a picture of my brother dedicating the grave. He's to the left outside of the picture:

We've helped the kids place their "I love you, Vavo" tennis balls on the grave.

How can this be real?

Can you see me hugging my Mom?

After the services at the restaurant--here are my parents' 7 grandkids:

My Dad's sister Alda (left) and my Dad's brother (drinking coffee) and his wife and son:

George and good friends my parents made at a restaurant--this man came up and told me that as a father, he thought that my tribute to my Dad was one of the most beautiful tributes he's ever heard and that my Dad is a wonderful man:

That table in the distance is full of my Mom's former coworkers--one of them, Paula, said to me that my Dad really does always have a smile and a twinkle in his eyes (I miss that a lot):

L-R, Davey, my cousin Johnny, Alfred, Tia Noemia, Steve, Cousin "Little" Johnny:

That's Glorinha and her mother walking behind my Mom and me. Glorinha is my Mom's cousin (her mom and my Mom's mom are sisters) and Glorinha has a son who is 1 day older than I am (Peter)--he and I are 2nd cousins. Glorinha's Mom (so my great aunt-Tia Lourdes) died a couple of days before my Dad died. She always doted on my father, so we're sure she was his travelling companion to heaven.

Another shot of the extended family on my Mom's side--next to Little Johnny are Tia Artemisia and Uncle Joe and there's Kathy next to Davey.

More cousins (everyone's a cousin) visiting our table:

Louis, Alda, and me:

Cousins, Paul (cousin and funeral director), and Tia Alda

Poor M got sick that day. :( You know it's rough when you're sleeping on the restaurant floor. :(

K and cousin Anna--cute friends!