Grandma J

It has been too long since I have updated my blog and the thoughts of updating it have overwhelmed me because of all that has gone on during my hiatus. This has been a summer to remember and I have learned and grown a lot through all of the changes.

I don't really know where to begin. One of the first major events was the passing of my Grandma Johnson on May 14, 2010. She was almost 91 years old when she passed away and lived every second of her life to the very fullest up to the very last moment. She was still weeding her flower beds, planting her plastic flowers, attending the temple, drinking Pepsi, and making plans for more parties right up until her last day here.

Here is her famous bathtub full of her flowers that never die.

The flower bed in front of her house that she had just put the finishing touches on.

Grandma J posing with her 90 pepsi cans at her 90th birthday celebration last year.

She was an energetic, fun and most importantly, a faithful lady that made a lasting impression on her entire family. I called her a few weeks before she died to see if she could help with my Relief Society lesson about strengthening the family. She sent me a letter that included her thoughts on this topic. In the final part of her letter she said

"I'm 90 and as I look back on the product of my Dad and mother I'm grateful to them for the teachings they taught us as a family and I see these things carrying on throughout the 51 now that are my family. I pray that everyone will realize that through the gospel and its teachings we have a plan to a happy life. I'm the last of my family and the last of my husband's, but look back with great satisfaction. We did o.k."