Grandpa Ashdown

I've been having a hard time knowing where to begin with this post, but I definitely felt that I needed to "journal" about Grandpa Ashdown passing and how his life and death have impacted me.  He has truly been an inspiration to me in many ways, but especially with my decision to pursue Social Work as a career and my desire to have an eternal marriage to someone who has the love, respect, and admiration for me that Grandpa has always shown for Grandma.  I've never seen any couple more in love and in harmony with one another, and I can only hope to have the same kind of relationship after 66 years of marriage.

Of course, I will never forget picking rasberries in Grandpa's garden and never leaving his house empty handed, as he never said goodbye without insisting I take some of the vegetables, fruits, and jams that Grandma canned from the fruits of the garden.  I will never forget his stories and the fishing trips.  I will especially treasure the memories I have of him with my own children, as he clearly delighted in them. I always thought it was amazing to see how comfortable Grandpa felt holding a newborn baby, but then again, he placed hundreds of newborn babies for adoption when he was director of the Children's' Aid Society.  One of my proudest moments with Grandpa was when he was invited to be a guest lecturer for one of my social work classes at Weber State.  He took up the entire 3 hours, which was highly unusual in a night class, and all of the students were captivated.  It was honestly the most informative and entertaining lecture that entire semester.  I was so proud that he introduced himself as my Grandpa.

Grandpa passed away on September 17, 2012, and I had the chance to say goodbye to him the day before.  I had seen him in the hospital a week earlier and said many prayers on his behalf (and on my behalf, as I begged Heavenly Father not to take my Grandpa yet).  On that day before his passing, I actually was still fasting and praying that he would get better, until I went to see him at his home.  Seeing him suffer and seeing how quickly his quality of life had diminished quickly changed my prayers, as I began asking Heavenly Father to please give him relief and take him home. Seeing how strong Grandma was through all this was an amazing comfort, as I realized that her knowledge and testimony of the Plan of Salvation was unshakeable.  We had a nice talk, as she walked me to my car, as we talked about how wonderful it is to know that we will see him again.  What an amazing example my Grandma is...she is truly the strongest woman I know.

Grandpa's funeral service was wonderful and a great tribute to such an amazing man who touched the lives of many!  The service at the cemetery was very touching, as Grandpa was buried with the military honors of a Navy Vet.

I'm so grateful for my very talented cousin, Josh, who was especially close to Grandpa. 

 He took these amazing pictures at the graveside service.

I know my kids are probably too young to have any memories of all of this, but I will never forget how Mason reacted when he saw Grandpa in the casket before the funeral.  I hadn't planned on him seeing him, but while he was walking around with my dad, he saw Grandpa and wanted my dad to hold him up higher, so he could see.  When I came over to make sure he was okay, he told me, "shhhh, Peepaw is sleeping."  He told me that Grandpa was sick.  He didn't want to leave the casket and even told Chase very gently to be quiet for Grandpa because Grandpa was sleeping.  Of course, I was in tears from this point on, and Mason kept asking me if I was sad and gave me lots of tight hugs to make me feel all better.  He really was exceptoinally sweet all day, and I'm so glad I made the decision to bring the kids.

I couldn't have asked for a better Grandpa, and without a doubt, he will continue to have a powerful influence my life and my family.  I love you Grandpa!