My Grandma, Naida Walton, passed away on her 92nd birthday. She dedicated her life to the Lord, lived her testimony, and be-bopped her way through life.
I am so grateful I was able to attend my Grandma's funeral. Flying to Cardston, Alberta wasn't easy at 8 months pregnant, but it was worth it. I met up with Dan in Colorado and we flew the second leg or our journey to Calgary together. There we met up with Mike, rented a car, and headed down to Cardston. Snow was everywhere, but the roads were clear and I enjoyed catching up with my brothers for a few hours before we joined up with the rest of the crew.
We had a viewing that night in a comfortable informal setting. Everyone was able to share their memories of Grandma and laugh and reminisce together. She would have loved it. Dad showed a slide show of photos of her and then Bryce shared one too. His featured the song "Every Woman in the World" running over and over again. By the fourth run, we were all joining in on the chorus. I will always think of Grandma now when I hear that song.
The funeral the next day was wonderful. It was a wonderful tribute to her life and a great reminder of the importance of family and gift of the great plan of happiness. The spirit was very strong and as I reflected on the service my grandmother gave and how she dedicated her life to the Lord, I wondered about my own priorities. What would be said at my funeral?
The grave dedication was brief since everyone was freezing (like single digits freezing!). I actually felt pretty good, but I brought a built in fetus heater. I found myself not wanting to zip up my coat from time to time over the weekend, while some of my brothers wouldn’t take theirs off even inside. It’s amazing what being pregnant can do. The weather sure looked pretty on the trees, though.
Later that night we gathered at Janet's house and reconnected with long lost cousins. It has been so long since I have seen so many of these wonderful people. We sang old songs, shared stories, and Dad even lead everyone in a seal hunt. The first all adult seal hunt I have EVER seen him do, and it was a hit! We also, divvied up the quilts and paintings. This had to be one of my favorite parts. I don't think anyone had any burning desires for any specific quilt, so it was a pretty laid back atmosphere as the siblings took turns selecting quilts, from Grandma's extensive inventory. It was both interesting and entertaining to see what people picked. There was plenty of playful commentary and lots of laughter. I wondered what Grandma might have thought of this evening. At one point Jim selected a pretty well put together quilt with surprisingly coordinated fabrics. Everyone was pretty impressed. We then discovered, she bought that one. Jim kept it anyway.
I'm sure Grandma would have just loved seeing all her children and grandchildren having such a wonderful evening together.
