Leaving A Legacy

I had the chance to attend two funerals this past month, both for women that I loved and admired very much.  The first was for my Grandma (my Mom’s Mom) June Monson and the second was for a “Grandma,” Ruth Blakemore, that lived in our last ward.  I truly felt that both of these Grandma’s left a legacy for their descendants.

My Grandma had 7 children, 30 grandchildren, and over 80 great-grandchildren.  I really don't think you can get a better matriarch of a family than my Grandma. I feel extremely blessed to have had her influence in my life.  Although my Grandmother loved art and was a very talented artist, and although she taught us all many things, I think the most important thing that she would want us to remember about her was her love of the Savior and of His gospel.  She served God in many ways throughout her life and shared her testimony with us frequently.  I had no doubts about her beliefs and she definitely led by example on how to be a Mother and Grandmother.  She is such a strong woman and a great example to me of staying strong in her faith and how that can affect generations to come. She has raised a very righteous posterity. Even if she only affected her own posterity, she has already affected 120+ people. Through our reunions and our visits, she has shared her strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ with us and her love and devotion to her family members. I was especially touched by one of my Mom's emails which explained that Grandma had been struggling to even have the energy to eat, however somehow she always worked up the strength and energy to spend time with each family member that came to visit. Her family was very important to her.  She stayed involved in our lives and tried to get together with all of us as much as possible.

Ruth was the spunkiest little Grandma and I loved being around her because she was just so much fun!  I loved the way that she would shake her pointer finger in the air when she was telling a joke or something she was annoyed by.  I loved her adorable laugh and the twinkle she would get in her eye, when she would smile.  Despite the trials in her life, Ruth stayed positive and was always happy.  During the 3 years that we lived a street over from her and Don, Grant and I truly felt that they were our friends, even though there was an age gap of 50+ years.  I also really enjoyed serving in Young Women’s with her for two years.  I remember Ruth’s love of babies, as she always loved holding our babies (during my whole baby shower, during ward events, etc.)  She also loved chocolate more than just about anything, something I could absolutely relate to!!  J  However, there was something, or should I say someone, that Ruth loved more than chocolate… her husband Don.  They acted almost like newlyweds and were an amazing example to us of just how love should be.  All of these things were impressive to me, but the one thing that impressed me most about Ruth was her testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It really impressed me that she would keep note cards in her purse with scriptures on them to try to memorize them when she would have moments of free time, how she would read all of the standard works each year, and how many missions she and Don went on.  I remember that she told me that on at least one of those missions she was pain free (something she dealt with often as a result of the polio she had earlier in life) from the moment she was set apart as a missionary until the moment she was released.  Ruth Blakemore definitely made a positive impact on my life and I will never forget her.  I hope to be just like her someday!

Many stories touched me from her funeral—how she fit in with any age (she was the favorite chaperone on all the high school trips, when her 3 kids were younger), how she would play games on the floor with her Grandkids, how she would take her Grandkids on one-on-one dates, how she had a red garbage can of treats for them, etc.  The most touching story for me was from her later years, after Don passed away.   Alzheimer’s disease had taken over her physical body.  Her son, Bruce, spoke of the last time she bore her testimony in church.  He said that he was worried about what she would say because she was quite out of it mentally, but that as she stood, her strong spiritual body overcame her weak physical body and that she bore a beautiful testimony of her love of Jesus Christ and of his church.  Afterwards, she was concerned about what she said and he was able to tell her that she gave a beautiful testimony.  I thought that was a neat story about the power of our spirits.

Attending both of these funerals made me reflect on how I am living my life and it made me want to be a better Mom and a better person.  I hope that I can leave a legacy like they have, for my descendants.  And I hope my 6 little descendants know now just how much I love them and how much I love the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints contains the fulness of the gospel, on the earth today.  I know that it was restored through a modern day prophet and that we have prophets today who receive modern revelation from God.  Most importantly, I know that Christ lived on this earth and that He atoned for our sins so that we can be forgiven.  I know that He not only atoned for our sins, but He felt every pain and sadness that we will ever feel and He knows exactly how we feel—we are never alone!  He is there!!  I know that He overcame death, was resurrected, and that through Him we too can be resurrected one day!  I know that we have a Father in Heaven who loves us very much and who hears, and answers, our prayers.  I know that it is only through His perfect Son that we can one day return and live with Him again.  I am so thankful for my knowledge of these things and I truly hope that my girls will always know of my love of the Savior and of His gospel.  I am so thankful I was able to have the examples of these two righteous women in my life.  I will miss them however I am so thankful for the knowledge that I know I will see them again one day!!  :)