I miss Grandpa

 Grandpa Pettijohn passed away a little over a year ago. Before that, the kids and I had the great opportunity to spend years with him at his home. I was able to help take care of his needs as the health problems he had slowly took over his body. Today I took the kids over to his house to dig up some of the flowers that grandpa and grandma had planted together over 18 years ago. 

One day while I was visiting with Grandpa in his bedroom, admiring his view, he said "Hey, go look down at my garden out there."  I wasn't sure what he was talking about since his known vegetable garden was on the other side of the house. But as I looked I saw a few pretty orange and yellow delicate flowers among the weeds. I turned to look at him and with a smile on his face, he said that he and my grandma had planted them together. She passed away 17 years earlier so it had been quite some time. It struck me that they had planted these flowers in this little nook of the house.  It took me a while to figure out why. Only they would ever really see them.  But that was the point.  They planted them for each other.  

I have great hope that these little flowers will survive my brown thumb so that I might keep them as a special reminder of the tender years I had with my grandpa and of how much he loved grandma.  

When we left grandpa's today and were on the drive home, Kaci blurted out from the back seat of the van that she didn't want to die.  I guess that she was thinking about how grandpa was no longer at home and that his pictures were off of his walls and furniture out of the rooms. The house will be put up for sale soon. So we had a little conversation in the van.  I talked to her about how much our Heavenly Father and Jesus loves us and that when we die and go back to live with them we will be so happy. We talked about how her Great-Grandpa Pettijohn is happy.  She was so cute and asked, "Are we going to live in a house in heaven?" I said "I don't know but I didn't think we would need them. She then replied, "I guess some people will just need tree houses... I love how her 4-year old brain works. :)  Well, the conversation went well and just before we got home, she said about grandpa "Mom, I feel him in my mind." I said, "You do? What does that feel like?"  She said, "It feels like he is in my heart." 

Change is difficult sometimes, especially when it involves those we love leaving this life. But I just want to say how thankful I am that I know that we will live again, as our Savior has provided the way.  I am thankful for this knowledge and the example that people like my grandparents provided me. 

This is the lake you see from Grandpa's bedroom window. I am sure going to miss it!