My Mother's Death

This isn't a post anyone wants to make, but it's part of my history now, so it's important to record a few thoughts about it.

February 7 Saturday
Got the news that she had died while I was out of town at Sarah's getting ready to help her with her new house (which they had not yet gotten the keys for).  I had to made the awful calls to Lindsey, Emily and Tom, as Sarah drove myself and her kids over to Traci's house to tell her in person.  Then I loaded up and came home and went over to my parent's house.  Spent the next several days with family and making plans and preparing things for the funeral.

February 11 Wednesday
Today was the funeral at our ward building.  Here are 5 of my sweet grandchildren gathering around their Great Grandma.
Tyrel is only 2 and he understood right from the time I went to Traci's house to give her the news.  He went and got a toy Great Grandma had given him and came and showed it to me and was trying his best to tell me Great Grandma had given it to him, even though he has few words in his vocabulary.  He understood.  Before we went to the viewing, when they arrived at the church, he came and grabbed on tight to my hand and started 'talking' to me (as we were walking down the hall) and by his expression and the words he was trying to say I understood perfectly what he was trying to express, that he was sad and concerned that we were going to see Great Grandma who had died.  I will always remember that. 

 The kids had made some pictures that they put in the casket with Great Grandma.

I was touched by how long Kylie stood there.  When it was time to close the casket she told her mommy she wanted to give Great Grandma a kiss, so I held her up there and she kissed her right on the tip of her nose.  Another special moment I will never forget. 
Elivia was shortly overcome with grief and cried for a little while on her daddy's shoulder.  
The funeral service was hard but special.  My brother Michael's talk touched me deeply.  Brother Threlfal sang a beautiful soprano of "How Great Thou Art."

Our ward was so wonderful to us.  There was so much food and we invited everyone to come.  This is the family just getting started but we pretty much filled up all the tables with people. 

Sister Harty bought flowers for every table and Sister Morris placed a book by each flower because her and my mom loved to share books and talk about them.  Two more special things I will always remember.  I managed to make a slideshow of all the pictures I could gather in about a day and it was about 23 minutes and it did add a pretty special element to the gathering.

February 12 Thursday
The majority of our [Laney] family headed to Utah on Wednesday after the funeral.  My 2 brothers Michael and Hyrum transported my mom's body in a rented truck. 
Tom and I left on Thursday.  I was not up to driving and Tom managed to make the 14 hour drive all himself (and home again, too) for which I will always remember and be grateful for.  We kept track of where everyone else was on Life360 and it was the best thing ever at a hard time to be able to do this, and a great comfort to my daughters at home as well, as they were not able to go to Utah even though they wanted to.  We got to Lindsey's house about 9pm Utah time.  We spent Friday doing things with her and Pete, and went to dinner at Tom's sister Carole's house in the evening.  She had a wonderful dinner prepared for us which is another thing I will remember and be grateful for.  It was the first food I really remember eating or tasting since my mom's death.

February 14 Saturday
I never envisioned a Valentine's Day like this one and I have also never seen so many flowers on V-day either.  They were all so beautiful.  The graveside service was beautiful.  It was such a sweet cap on a sorrowful experience to see all my Utah family.  My Aunt Carol and her family made a huge dinner for us at her house in her bowery.  It was wonderful.  My cousin Faylene and I were talking and she said that she always did say that funerals make the best reunions.  People might not always show up to weddings, but they show up to funerals. 
The love that abounded was enormous throughout this experience.  It has been very spiritual and has grown my heart so much and taught me a great deal.  I am thankful for the knowledge and testimony I have of the Resurrection to know that we will all be reunited again someday in perfect bodies, never to die or part again.  And all because of the life and mission of Jesus Christ.

My 17 year old nephew Soren reading the eulogy.

The flowers from my mom's sisters Pat and Kathleen.

The pallbearers boutineers were arranged in a wagon wheel spoke.  They had magnets attached to them so they were buried with the casket.  I loved this Pioneer symbol and my mom would have, too.

It was comforting as I was sitting during the ceremony to see the names of my Grandma and Grandpa Laney on the headstone next to my mom's grave sight.

 Thank you to everyone for the beautiful flowers, especially my brother Hyrum for the casket flowers.  I cherish these pictures to remember them by.

And thank you to Nancy (my sister-in-law) for taking these pictures of my mom's grave after she was buried.  (It still doesn't seem real)

On the way back to Lindsey's we stopped by the place they have rented for their wedding reception right next to the Mt Timpanogas Temple to see it.  It's beautiful, even in winter without all the greenery.  Then later we went out to eat at Chick Fil a, because Tom has always wanted to eat there.  It was ironically right across the parking lot from Cafe Del Rio where Lindsey and Pete had eaten with my mom and dad just a handful of days before that.  It was really good to spend time with Lindsey and Pete.

February 15 Sunday
Tom drove us home in 14 hours.  The sun shone the whole trip.  The only snow we saw on what otherwise should have been treacherous winter road conditions was just a bit off to the side along Diamond Lake.  That in itself is a miracle.