Farewell Grandpa Ed

A few posts back I wrote about my Grandpa Ed and the quilt my sister and I were making for him. This week we lost him. I have cried a lot this week—in sorrow at my loss, in happiness at his relief, and in gratitude for the prayers that were answered. For months now I (along with my family) have been praying that Grandpa Ed would be allowed to die soon and end his suffering. But we had a tall order to this prayer and we were very specific. We asked that he get to go soon, that he not die in a moment of suffering, and that he could go quietly in his sleep. The Lord is indeed merciful because that’s exactly how he went. The day after he died I was  reading in my scriptures and read this verse:

 “I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.”

 As I read that verse I knew instantly that God had heard our prayers and had indeed delivered Grandpa Ed. I don’t usually blog about such personal spiritual feelings, but I felt like I needed to write these thoughts down. My friend Laurie always says that you don’t blog about the really good and you don’t blog about the really bad. Great rule, don’t you think? This blog post is definitely one or the either. Not sure which, probably a little of both.

So farewell to my Grandpa Ed. I hope there are oranges, grapefruits, and especially avocados in heaven because nobody had a ranch quite like his. I cherished those 25 lbs of avocados he’d give me as a Christmas gift when I’d come home at the holidays. He was always generous with me and my siblings and honestly I don’t think he ever said an unkind word to me. As I held his hand the last time I saw him I told him as such. I loved him dearly.