Saying Goodbye

A friend of mine passed away last Friday. Her funeral was today. It is always hard to say farewell. It is especially hard when saying farewell to a friend. I should have been a better friend for Donna. I should have visited more often. I should have offered to take her for appointments a bit more often. I loved visiting with her, I loved spending time with her as we traveled for appointments. She loved vistiting with my little grandchildren if they were with me as we made those travels. They have been blessed to have that time with her. I have been blessed to have that time with her. I will miss my friend.

Saying Good-bye

Saying good-bye is always hard but is especially hard when the time comes to say good-bye to a long-time friend and neighbor. Nanette, I'll miss you. I am so glad you were feeling good and able to be at our Women Together meeting on Saturday - I will cherish the memory of our visit together. And it was so good to see you at church on Sunday. Although you and Ed are often able to make it for church you were also able to stay for Relief Society and it was so very good to spend that time with you, sitting next to you and to hear your input and thoughts on the lesson Misty was teaching. I love you, my friend.

Funerals

Two of my favorite people have passed away in recent days. :(


C. Leonard Isaacson passed away November 28th. He was the first bishop of 3rd Ward way back when it was first created and he later became Stake Patriarch for St. Johns Stake. Bishop Isaacson was always a loving, soft-spoken, caring man. On a recent occasion when I'd stopped to visit his wife and she wasn't home, we stood at the door and he reminisced about my family and my neighbors "on the hill there." From his home, our little cluster of homes are on the hill facing his modest home. Bishop Isaacson asked about my kids ... each of them by their birth order and he also asked about "the Indian boy you had living with you." He didn't remember Philip's name but he did remember him and each of my kids ... pretty amazing since Bishop Isaacson has had Alzheimer's for the last few years and has struggled to recall names of his own family even.

Bishop Isaacson gave Patriarchal Blessings to each of my kids and to me, too. I love him dearly, like a trusted, respected elderly family member. He will be missed.


Sister Lorna Scarbrough passed away today. She too is a beloved soul. She had a sweet personality and a genuine love for the children in our ward. I can still envision her walking the kids up the sidewalk to our house back in the days before I attended church and became a member. Sister Scrabrough took them under her wing as though they were her own.

I tried to visit her while I was in Snowflake last week but wasn't able to reach her family to make arrangements for the visit - I didn't know where they lived, had to reach them first. :(

I love this picture of her ... Nanette Whiting and I were out riding and visiting. I recalled that day was Lorna's birthday and we went to the flower shop. Nanette purchased a long-stem rose and we took it over to Sister Scarbrough. When she came to the door, we sang Happy Birthday to her! (Yes, I know I can't sing ... it was still fun and she loved us being crazy just for her!)

My prayers will be with the two families. I'll miss both of these lovely people.

Long Days

I am so glad Jacob was able to come up for Loretta Crosby's funeral. It was so good to visit with him for a while last night. I'm sure he didn't appreciate too much that I started dozing off while we were talking. It's been a couple of long days.

Today was a long day, too. Today was Loretta Crosby's funeral. There were a lot of people in attendance, and a lot of food. The RS Sisters put in a long day, some will still be working away long after this post is made. Thank you Terry J for doing the table cloths! There were dozens and dozens of sisters who helped with food and preparations for the funeral and luncheon. It still amazes me that so many come together and work so hard to make things go smoothly for the family on such a difficult day. I am so proud of the ladies in our ward. They really are jewels.

It was hard seeing Loretta in a casket although she looked amazingly at peace. She had just a hint of a smile. I know that my friend has started a new journey - a journey she has been looking forward to taking. I'm just a bit sad that she's already gone. I'll miss her.

Jacob has headed home. I'll miss him, too.

Another Friend Passes

Just a short while ago I learned another friend has passed away. Very few details are available at this time but Loretta Crosby was in Provo with her husband Jim to attend a wedding reception. After the reception they returned to the hotel. Jim went to check on Loretta and discovered she had died.

Loretta and I have become good friends over the years. She especially enjoyed the quilting classes we had at Relief Society. She was an avid genealogist and she was quite avid about all things scouting. We had a lot in common. I'm going to miss her.

Poppy Seed Dressing

After Ann's funeral yesterday, we went to Pat and Alice's for a family luncheon. Thank you Lehi 2nd Ward Releief Society!

Along with the typical fare of ham and scalloped potatoes, there was an interesting - homemade - salad dressing to accompany a toss salad just loaded with eye candy (things that looked good). When I inquired after the meal, Sister Zimmerman (hope I got that name right!) said the dressing was Poppy Seed and made by one of the sisters in their ward. I went looking for a recipe this morning and found this one and the ingredient list seems quite right for the tasty dressing served yesterday. If you want a treat, give it a try!


INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 onion, grated, juice reserved
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds

DIRECTIONS
Whisk together the sugar, mustard, salt, vinegar, onion juice, oil and poppy seeds. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

UPDATE:: I tried this recipe and it is quite good. Give it a try Heather, just don't leave out the cider vinegar! :-)

Ann's Passing

Mike and I got a call from Alice (Pat and Alice) on Saturday while at the campground. Ann passed away the day before, March 14th. Her funeral will be on Wednesday morning. Mike and I will travel back to the valley for the funeral.

Ann was a special lady, a choice spirit. I am so glad to have known her.

Catching Up
It Won't Be Too Long

Two Funerals

It has been a long and tiring day, but a good day, too. There were two funerals in our ward so I spent the entire day at the stake center. The ladies in our ward are amazing! Even those with especially limited resources did what they could to contribute food and service for the two families. There ended up being an abundance of food and both families were quite grateful for the kindness extended to them.

I didn't know Jolene Case, the first funeral today. I know her sister, Claudene, and her brother, Neal and it was especially good to be able to do something for the Case family, to make the solemn occassion less of a hardship for them. Claudene and Neal are both active members of the church. Jolene and her family were not active and the children really appreciated that we extended support and kindness to them during this time.

The second funeral was for Andy Brown, a former bishop in our ward (3rd, pre-Lyman days). For a time, I had been visiting teacher for his wife, Barbara. It was especially fulfilling to be able to provide service for their family. They've been gone from SJ for many, many years. It was good to see Barbara and have some small hand in making the day easier for her.

While at the stake center, I ran into Marc LeFevre who has returned from his mission a couple weeks ago. It was the first time I've seen him and it was good to visit with him for a few minutes. There were also two baptisms at the church yesterday. Brennon Overson was baptised. It was good to visit with Dana for a few minutes and it was especially good to see so many young people travel back home to SJ for the occassion. There were a lot of people present to support him. I know his brother Bradley is delighted with the news even though he wasn't able to attend due to being on his mission.

It was a good day. Long but good.