I just returned from St. George, Utah. The good news is I got to see all my mom's extended family, some I haven't seen in years. The bad news is we were all there to pay our final respects to Grandpa Mac. He passed away on February 2 at 90 years of age. We've been expecting it for weeks, if not months so it was no huge surprise, but it is still hard to go through it. The hardest part has been watching my mom and aunts and uncles go through it all.
During the funeral, my mom and her siblings each talk about their father and all that he accomplished in his life. In addition to his role as father and grandfather and great-grandfather, he was a professor of agronomy, a scout master, a bishop, a stake president, a mission president and a master gardener. He set the bar high and he expected a lot from his students, his scouts, his missionaries, his ward and stake members and his family. But he was very proud of everyone's accomplishments too. You could tell by how far he would travel to see one of his grandchildren receive an award or get baptized or even just perform in a play or a recital. That also showed his deep love for each of us. He loved the outdoors and wanted to share that love with all of us. And you never had to wonder if Grandpa had a testimony because he lived it every day of his life.
Some of the things I remember about grandpa include the anticipation of a visit from him and grandma and how he would play the "banjo" on us as kids and rubbing his whiskers on our faces. I have fond memories of visiting Yellowstone, Zions, Snow Canyon and many other beautiful places with him as our guide always pointing out the vegetation during the day and the stars at night. I remember how emotional he became when he talked about his family and his testimony, especially in the past several years.
I call all these things Grandpa's Legacy. I watched my own brother lead us on a hike in Snow Canyon this weekend and point out things to my son that I had over looked. I see my parents travel to be there for all of their grandkids important events. I find myself emotional when I talk about my family and my love of the Savior too. All of us following his legacy.
And it has made me wonder what legacy I am building for my family. What will A.J. remember about me? Today he thinks I am mean because he's been in trouble most of the day. But will he know of my testimony and my convictions?
I guess the point of all of this is to live today as you will want to be remembered when you are no longer around. That is our legacy.
I fashioned A.J. a DI pirate costume and our neighbor Jen made some balloon swords. A few extra pirate accessories from the party store rounded out the costumes. We played Parrot, Parrot, Pirate (think Duck, Duck, Goose) and Musical Islands (musical chairs with hoola hoops instead of chairs) and we had a treasure hunt. And of course, in A.J.'s opinion it's not a birthday party if there is no pinata involved. Here's our little swashbucklers ready for battle:
I wish I had a picture of the invitation. I still have to get one of those. It was a message in a bottle. Really A.J. had no choice but to have a pirate party. Once I bought the Ahoy Matey set from Stampin' Up last fall, I knew he had to have this party so I could use the set. I'm just glad I was able to convince him it was his idea!
