My Grandfather's funeral

This past week, my grandfather passed away. This Friday I flew home to Chicago and then we drove to Kalamazoo to attend the funeral. Unfortunately, we didn't have the money to bring Cassie home as well. I felt very sad about that, but it ended up alright. I'm back home now with her.

My grandfather had been sick for a while, at least for the past four years. He had a number of strokes and mini strokes that made it so he could never recover. Ever since my grandma passed away he began to get very old. I know he missed her more than he could say. Knowing all this didn't take away the pain of his passing. I know I will miss him a lot and that his life has made mine infinitely better.

The funeral was very beautiful. My dad gave the eulogy, my Aunt Lorie read some poetry that described her feelings about grandpa, and my Uncle Paul talked about our beliefs and where grandpa is now. It was very beautiful. I felt that hearing the stories about my grandfather helped me understand more of who I am; it brought a lot of healing. I think that knowing our families and understanding them is important for anyone who wants to understand themselves. My grandfather decided to be baptized (along with his wife and children) into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-days Saints (Mormons) when my dad was 16. In the funeral program, they included a quote from him in a speech that he gave in Church in 1995. He said:

"One of the best attested facts in sacred scripture is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and one of the Savior's own most repeated teachings is his assurance that we too will rise from the grave. No two facts are more clearly and explicitly stated in sacred scripture than these - the reality of Christ's resurrection and the certainty of ours. The apostles witnessed the wounds in Christ's resurrected body and watched him eat the fish and the honeycomb. They went forth testifying, as he had, that, just as all men would die because of Adam, so also men would live because of Christ."

I am very grateful for my Grandfather's choices to follow God in his life. I know that the knowledge I have helps me deal with his passing. I know he is in a better place.