What a week!

First of all, I just want to thank all of you for the love and support you have shown me this past week. Thank you for your kind words and for your prayers. I definitely felt them. I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends in my life. 

Last week was one of the hardest weeks of my life, but also one of the most uplifting.  Losing my Grandma has been so hard for me, but I have felt the Spirit so much knowing where she is now.

To add to all the craziness, I was just getting over a cold when my Grandma passed away, but after a lot of crying, all that drainage in my throat brought some of those cold symptoms back and gave me one of the worst coughs I've ever had.  Not a good thing to have happen when you have to sing at your Grandma's funeral.
 
Even though I was a little under the weather and mourning the loss of my sweet Grandma, I was able to learn so much about her.  She was amazing.  More amazing than I ever realized.  I will always look up to her and hope to be the kind of woman she was.

My Grandma's funeral was perfect.  Absolutely perfect.  Everyone's talks paid a wonderful tribute to her and the Christlike woman she was.  I learned so much about her life and her relationship with my Grandpa.  They are a prime example of what marriage is all about.

Like I said in my previous post, my Grandma had asked me to sing at her funeral.  I honestly didn't know if I could do it.  Singing at funerals is so hard, especially if the funeral is for someone you were close to.

All week I prayed and prayed asking Heavenly Father to give me the strength to make it through my song without crying.  On top of that, I had a nasty cough which made me that much more nervous.

I can honestly say my prayers were answered.  I made it through my song without crying and I think I sang it better than any of the times I practiced it.  I didn't even feel nervous and I was able to sing with the confidence I needed to make it through the entire song.  I tried to think about my Grandma and make the song as good for her as I possibly could.  I am so thankful for answered prayers.  As soon as the song ended and I headed back to my seat, the waterworks kicked in with full force!  But that was okay.  I had held in my emotions and was able to keep them in until my song was over-which was exactly what I had hoped for.

I am so grateful for my Grandma and the things she taught me.  I am thankful for answered prayers and feel so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends in my life.  I am especially thankful for the knowledge that death is NOT the end.  I will see my Grandma again.


On top of the funeral and everything else going on last week, my dad retired after teaching for several years. I could not finish this post without letting him know how proud I am of him.

His retirement happened sooner than we expected, but it was the right time for him.

My dad is one of my heroes.  He has been battling Multiple Sclerosis for several years now and not once has he ever complained about it.  I know he does not feel well or normal a lot of the time but he has never been one to complain or let anyone know when he's hurting.  Most people don't even know he has MS.  He has not let this disease interfere with his happiness.  He has always taken such good care of his body and I know that has helped his MS not progress as fast as it could.  His job has become more and more stressful each year, which can have a big impact on MS, and I know that his retirement will only improve his health and prolong his life.

I can't believe both of my parents are retired now!  I feel old :)

I love you dad!  Happy retirement!