Always

November 20, 2012
A few days ago, I decided to call up my wonderful Grandmother. When I was living at home with my parents on my off track (off semester), almost every Sunday after church, I would stop at Grandma's house and just chat with her. Grandpa died a few years ago and Grandma has been pretty lonely since, but she is a trooper!
I don't know why I decided to call her, exactly. It just entered into my mind that I ought to call her and see how she is doing. She answered the phone in her sweet, old voice with the same enthusiasm she's had her entire life. Not the kind of enthusiasm that you hear when you call an old acquaintance/friend that's fake, but the kind that is genuine and sweet.
I asked her how she was feeling and of course she said she was feeling well. Grandma's not one to complain. She asked how my family was and what we were up to. Asked if I was excited for the family reunion over Thanksgiving and expressed her delight that my siblings and I would be reunited and told me she would be spending Thanksgiving with some of her other grandchildren. What a blessing it is to have family nearby!
As we continued our conversation, it turned, as it so often does, to the topic of family and how blessed we are to have such a big, wonderful family, especially since we are all still faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. This is very important in my family because it means that we all get to be together again.
As we pursued this topic of discussion, it came into my mind to ask Grandma what her mother and daddy (that's what she calls her mom and dad) thought when Grandma decided to marry Grandpa, a man who was not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. I was then blessed to hear my dear, sweet Grandma tell me about how Grandpa, although he wasn't a member of the same church, upheld the same standards and was a good man and her parents knew it. They simply asked her if she was sure and when she said yes, they gave their permission.
Grandpa asked Grandma to marry him in a very simple way. They already knew that they wanted to get married, so all he needed was to give her a ring. When he proposed, he didn't give a long speech or ask her in some elaborate method. He simply asked her to marry him and Grandma said yes. Shortly thereafter they were married.
Grandma's story reminded me how close and connected we really are to those who have gone before us, particularly our ancestors. I could imagine my grandpa traveling from the air base in Mountain Home, ID to Boise, ID where Grandma lived more often than was convenient just so that he could be with her. I could imagine Grandma's excitement as she anticipated his arrival and her anxiety as she watched him leave to deliver food and provisions during the war, praying that he would return home in safety.
In many ways, Grandma's story is just like so many others we hear about today. The year, music, styles, and even language may be different, but the stories somehow manage to be unique and yet stay the same.
To honor their love, I have decided that today's tune is Grandma and Grandpa's song, "Always" by Frank Sinatra.

1 comment

  1. Oh Susan. Your post was lovely. I love Grandma so much and your song post totally made me tear up. You are so sweet to call her and take time to visit with her. I'm sure that she just loves it. :)

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You left me a comment! *fist pump*

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