Family is Absolutely Everything

For those of you not from my family this may seem rather an odd statement. Let me explain. "Gumper" is the affectionate (and sometimes not affectionate) term for when things just go wrong, or they don't go right. It downpours when your camping. It snows when you are moving. Its cloudy when you go to the beach. A light will be green right up until you get to the intersection. Etc.  This past weekend was spent moving my grandparents, on my mom's side, to Modesto to live with us. The reason for this is because my grandma is not able to care for herself because of health issues, and has been relying on my grandpa for everything for the last 6 years. Caring for my grandma is complicated by her having dementia, a mental condition where she is no longer herself and her reality can be skewed. My grandpa, who is in poor health himself, has been caring for her and attending to her every need even when his strength is gone or he is having a dizzy spell. He has been a spiritual giant and example to me my entire life. His quiet and unfailing love for his wife, family, and the gospel, has been a hallmark of a man that "doesn't want to be a burden" on anyone.

Despite his physical frailness and tending to grandma, he has continued to perform his duties of Patriarch right up until we moved him here. If I can love my future wife as he has loved grandma and if I can be the example of discipleship that he is, then I will have lived a life of happiness. As I came home this evening from church I noticed that grandpa was reading something out loud. As I sat down to eat dinner I saw that he had a small microphone in his hand and that grandma had earphones on. My grandpa was tenderly reading a story to my grandma even though she may not have been even paying attention or understanding it. He was doing it because he loves her. The little embroidery is a memento that will remind me of one of my biggest heroes, my grandpa.