My Beautiful Grandma Rose

This is my Grandma Rose (Dorothy Evans Rose) with my Dad (her oldest son).  She was just recently put in a nursing home due to dementia and is going through some very difficult times.  Though this has been one of the most difficult things our family has had to go through, we know this is what is best for her as well as our Grandpa Rose who was no longer able to physically or emotionally able to care for her.  My heart aches for the two of them and cannot imagine how difficult this has to be for both of them.  I've taken comfort lately in reading both of their life history's, my Grandma's being in her own handwriting (there is something comforting about reading these words in the handwriting of my Grandmother who never missed sending me a birthday card) and I've joked several times that though I always had a difficult time reading her handwriting, it is some of the most beautiful writing I've ever seen:):)  I've learned so much about my Grandma and Grandpa in the past little while and have a strong desire to help my kids to get to know all of their grandparents a lot better than they do and as a result, we've started a new FHE tradition where I will share a story or two from our family history before we have our lesson.  I'm hopeful that my kids will know and feel how blessed they are to have such wonderful examples in their lives.  I always tell my kids how lucky they are to have known several of their great grandparents though I don't really think they understand just how rare this is and how blessed they are.  Anyway, my thoughts are kind of all over the place but I have tender feelings when I think about all the great times I spent with my grandparents.  I was blessed to have grown up in a small ranching community just down the road from my grandma and grandpa Rose and can remember spending hours and hours and grandma's house helping her, playing with my cousins, working in her yard, eating all of her yummy cooking, watching her busily work cleaning her house and yard, sneaking candy out of her candy dishes, watching movies in her living room, sleeping at her house, watching her rake her carpet (yes, she used an actual rake on her orange shag carpet:), pretending for hours with my cousins, listening to grandma hum as she worked (I'm still not sure whether this was due to her  tracheotomy or just a habit, but I loved it!  My grandma was a hard worker and good at everything she did.  She was a fantastic cook, she loved to work in her yard, she loved to quilt, garden, sew, and many more things but most importantly, she had and still has a powerful testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the reality of eternal families.  I always felt of her love and her desire that each one of us do everything possible so we would all be able to return back to our Heavenly Father. I'll always love and appreciate my grandma's example of righteous living.  Thanks to my wonderful grandma and grandpa for your fine examples to me and my children!  We all love you!

This is a picture of our kids with Grandma and Grandpa Rose in Park Valley the last time we saw them.  I'm not sure Grandma knew who we were but she still gave us that loving and warm smile and hug that I'll always remember getting as a child.  Grandpa went in the house for a minute and came out with a gigantic bag of swedish fish for the kids and insisted that we take it for our long trip home.  We were on our way home from Nevada and came through Park Valley and I'll be forever grateful that we caught them home because their life has changed durastically in the past 2 months and I'll probably never see my grandparents sitting together on their front porch together again. 

DJ having a visit with Grandpa while Grandma enjoys watching her great grandchildren have some fun on Aunt Janet's fun new purchase, a golf cart!!!