happy birthday, grandpa earl!

Today is my Grandpa Earl's birthday! He would've been 89 today! Not even a year ago, he died in a car crash on his way to serve in the Jordan River Temple. He was such a good man--so caring and so devoted to his family. His family, my family, was the one thing he cared about the most on this earth. Us, and his knowledge of the gospel. 

I could talk him up all day, because of his selflessness, willingness to serve, and his genuine love he had for all people. I really could go on and on, but I'll let you read everything I love about him here, written the day he died.

Instead, I want to share a memory I have of him. Just one simple memory that I adore and think of occasionally.

When I was 15 or 16 years old, my brother, Daniel, and two little sisters, Rachel and Sara, and my mom would help my Grandpa Earl and Grandma Alice at the Humane Society at the DI in Murray. They were service missionaries there, with their black name tags and all. We would put together hygiene kits, new baby kits, and food kits, and did we have some fun back then! 

My Grandpa Earl did not serve a mission when he was 19. He smoked, and was inactive in the church for years and years, until he and his family were sealed in the temple in 1950. I remember one day, putting kits together, he told me, "This is my mission." 

This 80-something year old man had served his mission. Even 60 years later than was recommended, he made an effort to serve his mission. And he went on to serve even more, really until the day he died. My Grandpa Earl is a tremendous example of charity to me, and I will always love him for that.

Grandpa, I miss you, and I still cry when I think of how much I do. I'm so grateful for the knowledge I have of the Plan of Salvation, so that I can look forward to seeing my Grandpa Earl again. I love you, Grandpa! Happy Birthday to you!

...

the road trip: day two.

On the second day of this little road trip, we slept in until about 10:00 in the morning, and it was lovely. We ate Cheerios for breakfast (our favorite), and got ready in our own time.

When we finally made it out the door, we headed straight for the Red Cliffs that overlook the valley. We walked around, stopped to take pictures, and walked some more. We scouted out our spot for watching the solar eclipse that would take place that night. Zac even convinced me to climb up an incredibly steep rock (that had a drop down of about 20 feet right next to you) to find the perfect spot. And even though heights scare the bejeebers out of me, I did it! We stood there on the red rock, looking over the entire valley--the temple, trees, houses, buildings, streets, and cars--and it was worth the scary hike up!

When we climbed down, we drove on over to Cafe Rio for some lunch. We found out that the Cafe Rio in St. George is our least favorite, because they don't give you as much rice, beans, and meat than the ones in Utah Valley do. Also, they didn't have knives. But whatever. We managed.

Since it was Sunday, we headed to the temple, just a few blocks away. We were in everyday clothes, which made me feel a little weird, but the temple grounds were just beautiful. Ever since my Grandpa Earl died, I've felt so much peace everytime I go to the temple grounds. My Grandpa used to serve at the Jordan River temple, and he would talk to the gardeners there, ask them their gardening secrets, and even score a few seeds if he was lucky. My Grandpa loved the temple, and so do I.

In the evening, we quickly drove up to the Red Cliffs again and found our spot on the rock overlooking the valley. It was time for the solar eclipse! There were quite a few people on the rock with us, and a group of men offered us some solar eclipse glasses (because we didn't bring any, whoops), and told us to come hang out with them. Their names were Cory, Andrew, Tom, and Shane, and they told us about all their trips to different countries to see the solar eclipses. These guys were solar eclipse chasers, and that's what I want to be! It was so much fun talking to them and hearing all their stories.

It took about an hour or so for the solar eclipse to turn into a complete ring of fire, and in the meantime, we stood watching it slowly make its way through our 3D-looking glasses. When the moon was perfectly center with the sun, the entire crowd on the rock cheered and cheered! It was a celebration! We had seen a solar eclipse. (And no, we didn't get any pictures, mostly because you couldn't see the eclipse with the naked eye... or the naked lens. Sorry!)

We spent the rest of the night in our motel, and at McDonalds, for a quick dinner (smoothie for me, burger and fries for Zac). We decided we'd take it easy since it was Sunday. And yes, we watched a couple more episodes of Lie to Me. How did you know?

See day one of our road trip here.

...

dear grandpa earl,

today you left me; you left our family. this morning i missed a call from my dad. i was at work when i found out what happened. immediately i left work, picked up zac, and drove straight to your house to spend time with the family, and to try to cheer grandma up. i cooked food and made cookies for everyone. then my siblings and i raked your front lawn, because grandma can't do that stuff. it was the least i could do, and i wish i could've done more.

the whole entire day, memories of you flooded into my mind, and i was surprised by how many i had. you are such a loving, selfless, and wise man. whenever i gave you a hug goodbye, you would always look me straight in the eye, and say, "we sure love you." whenever you were over, you would always put your arm around me and give me good advice, or tell me something that made me feel loved and special.

when i was little, i remember going to your house with my mom and little sisters at least once a week. there, it would be your job to pick up a papa john's pizza and bake it for us. i loved that. i remember playing in your basement for hours: riding pillows across the treadmill, playing the piano, and watching cartoons. today i went down there, and everything looked exactly the same. i wanted to lay on the couch and have another sleep over.

i remember, in the summers, going out to your garden and helping you pick blackberries and raspberries to eat. i remember playing in your backyard, and swinging on the swing under your back deck. i remember picking apples from the tree. i remember collecting nuts from off the ground under the tree, and going into the garage and cracking them with that huge, red nutcracker.

i remember when you and grandma would come over when we lived in our old house, and you would always call everyone "murtle." we thought that was so funny. and when you would give us a "squeeze," and not miss one birthday.

a couple months ago, in early october, when mom, grandma, steph and i were dropping grandma off after going to the general relief society meeting, i asked you if i could have a few tomatoes from your garden. you got me my tomatoes, but you also loaded me up with a bunch of other things, like extra tomatoes (i think i got about 10), a bag full of hazelnuts, and a head of cabbage.

on thanksgiving, we played bezzerwizzer, and you could hardly figure out how to play it. that made me laugh. you are such a funny old coot, and you always found the time to laugh at yourself, too. you were constantly looking for the happiness in life.

on christmas every year, you would make breakfast for everyone. you loved that; you loved serving. you are always doing something, whether it was helping a neighbor build something, or giving your garden vegetables away, or serving in the temple. you loved giving of yourself, your time, and your talents (and you have many!), which is why it doesn't surprise me that you died on your way to the temple.

grandpa, thank you for being an example to me. thank you for being my grandpa. thank you for being so strong in the church. thank you for supporting me, and loving me. thank you for raising my mom so she could raise me. i know i will see you again one day. i can just see you up there, doing exactly what you did here: being a missionary and serving people with all your heart. how does it feel to see your son, parents, and other family and friends again? how does it feel to meet the people you helped down here in the temple? i bet you're pretty famous up there. i can just imagine you laughing at us down here for being so sad.

i love you, grandpa. i'll see you soon, okay? :)

love, megan