My Grandma Sorensen

Last night when I was talking to my mom about the condition of my grandma, my kids all gathered around me, wondering what was going on. After I got off the phone, I explained to them that Great Grandma Sorensen's body was shutting down. They cried and I cried. She is their last living great grandparent. Savannah took it especially hard. But, I explained to them that this wasn't a sad thing, and that I wasn't crying because I was sad. I was crying because it's an emotional thing. I told them about my grandpa who passed away 14 1/2 years ago, and how he and my grandma would be reunited. I told them about how wonderful heaven is. I told them that my grandma was old and tired, and that she'd lived a long full life. I told them this is Heavenly Father's plan for all of us. I told them that the tears they would see from everyone over the next week aren't tears of sadness, but just tears of emotion because this is a very big thing.

It is an emotional thing. My grandma Sorensen was always been the epitome of health. She was amazing. She took care of a big yard, never seemed to age, and never seemed to slow down. I always sort of believed she was invincible. She was an amazing strong woman. I can remember going out to her house every Christmas Eve. I remember the big heater in her kitchen that we would all fight to stand in front of to get warm. I remember the fun bar stools in her kitchen that we'd fight over to sit in--tall milk jug buckets topped with a metal tractor seat. I remember sitting in her rocking chair and watching the fish in her fish tank. I remember going out there in the summer time and roaming her huge yard. It was always filled with animals--ducks, geese, dogs, cats, etc. She had a field with an empty train car, broken down sheds, and old vehicles that we would spend hours exploring. There was even an old outhouse. I remember the baby ducklings in the incubator in her garage. Her yard was always filled with life everywhere. My grandma had the most amazing porcelain doll collection. I remember when I was finally old enough to receive my first porcelain doll from her for Christmas. She was a collector of all sorts of nick-knacks. When she went to live at the Willows, my kids got to go to her house and pick out some "treasures" to keep from her house. They still have those, and they will mean even more to them after she is gone. I love my grandma, and she will be missed.

(Two Easters ago.)