In Loving Memory

Today would have been my dad's 50th birthday. He passed away a little over seven years ago at the young age of 42. While those seven years have seemed like a lifetime, I know that compared to eternity, it is but a blink. I am so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and for the atonement, and for the knowledge I have that I will be able to see my dad again. I can't imagine having to go through this life without that knowledge. My testimony of the gospel is the only thing that brought me peace and comfort during the difficult time of my dad's passing, and on those days when I miss my dad so much it hurts, it is what continues to bring me that peace. I rejoice in the knowledge that I will see my dad again. I rejoice in the fact that I can be with my family forever through the blessings of the temple.
My parents were sealed in the temple when I was about 12. It is a day I will always remember. I remember the difference I felt in our home after that. Things were always pretty great for me growing up. I always knew that I was loved, and my needs were always taken care of, but there just seemed to be a different feeling in our home after my parents went to the temple. Things that were already great became better. We just seemed to become more connected as a family. My parent's relationship changed as well. The love they felt for each other grew and deepened. Even I, as a 12-13 year old at the time noticed a difference in them. I am so grateful for the changes my parents made in their lives and for the steps that they took so that our family could be sealed together for time and all eternity. I am grateful for their example to me, and because of that example, I too have been to the temple and sealed to my husband and children.

I miss my dad for so many reasons, but one of the things I miss the most is watching him be a grandpa. When Trent and I told our parents that we were expecting our first baby, my dad was in such denial. In his mind he was nowhere near old enough to be a grandpa. Well, by the time my pregnancy was nearing it's end, my dad just couldn't wait for that baby to come. He kept telling everyone at work, "I'm out of here as soon as I get that phone call, I don't care what's going on around here." After Trenton was born, my dad became known as "The Baby Hog". If my dad was around, he always had the baby, and he was never very willing to let anyone else have a turn. Reflecting back on it now, I'm so glad that he was such a baby hog with Trenton and Colson because he got to spend so little time with them here on this earth. I remember at his funeral, in the closing prayer my uncle Larry gave, he prayed that Trenton would be able to remember his grandpa so that he could tell his little brother about him. To this day Trenton will every now and then, out of the blue, say something he remembers that he and grandpa used to do together. Which to me is amazing because Trenton was only 2 1/2 when my dad died. I have always been so grateful for that prayer.

While life without my dad is really tough at times, especially knowing how lonely my mom is without him, I take comfort in the fact that I will see him again. I just think of him as our guardian angel, watching over us in ways that he wouldn't be able to if he were still here on this earth. I love you dad, take care... until we meet again.