Please forgive me for taking a moment to be very personal. Right now I have so many mixed emotions . . . from gratitude to a sense of loss for someone I dearly loved. February 26, 2009 at 10:24 PM, Lydia passed quietly from this world into the loving arms of her Heavenly Father. Lydia was born in a snow storm in June, and tonight, after her passing, snowflakes fell gently from the sky.
I found out about her passing during shift my at Huntsman Cancer Hospital. While working on my charting, I looked up and saw my husband standing there and knew immediately that Lydia had passed. A flood of emotions filled my mind and heart; I was grateful that she was finally able to rest from the difficulty and pains of this world, but, at the same time, missed her so much. Our sweet charge nurse, Melissa, helped make arrangements for me to leave to go visit her and obtain a sense of closure. (Thank you so much, Melissa).
Lydia was my beloved grandmother and friend. I first came to know Lydia the month before I turned 12, when she was looking for someone to help her around her house and yard.
Over the years our friendship grew and we grew to truly love and care for one another. Lydia never had the opportunity to have children; Lydia was literally a grandmother to me and she loved me as her granddaughter. I treasure the fun times we shared and the opportunity I had to know such a remarkable woman.
This was a picture of Lydia and me at our wedding reception
Lydia was strong-willed, humorous, generous, ambitious, loving, caring and kind. She did her best to make sure no one ever left her home with empty hands or an empty stomach.
Lydia found great joy in doing things for others. She would send packages to friends to remember holidays and special occasions; the packages were always decorated with stickers to make them a little more fun. Even when she was not feeling well, she would make-up little bags of candy to share with the sweet health care workers who would come into her home to care for her. She was always thinking of others.
Lydia had a great love for life. During her life she faced many difficulties, but always had a very positive attitude and did not complain. She was grateful for each day she lived and could see no sense in being down. She was always grateful for the many blessings she had received in her life; she was especially grateful for the people who blessed her life.
One time, I had the opportunity to stay with Lydia for a couple nights after she had returned home from rehabilitation for a broken hip. I was so touched to hear her fervent, sincere prayers to her Father in Heaven, before laying down to sleep; her prayers were filled with gratitude for all that she had been blessed with and she prayed individually for the family and friends dear to her. Lydia had a great love for her Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Lydia's favorite scripture was
Job 19:25 "For I know that my redeemer liveth,
and that he shall stand at
the latter day upon the earth"Lydia's favorite hymns were,
"I Stand All Amazed"
(Text and music by Charles H. Gabriel)
and
"How Great Thou Art"
(Text by Stuart K. Hine and
Music is a Swedish folk melody,
arranged by Stuart K. Hine)
Lydia loved to feed the birds in her backyard. Lydia loved roses, especially pink roses. This picture is of a rose in Lydia's yard, a rose I helped tend for her as I cared for her yard. I photographed and printed this image during my first darkroom class.
This image was taken last September when Clark and I took Lydia on a drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon to see the beautiful fall leaves near Silver Lake (a few days before
Kari's bridals were taken)
While Clark was driving home me from Lydia's house in the wee hours of this morning, I could almost hear her singing a song she sang to me on several occasions upon parting . . .
"Now run along home
and jump into bed.
Say your prayers,
don't cover your head.
There's just one more thing
I say unto you,
you dream of me,
and I'll dream of you."
Lydia, I love you and will miss you!
