Remembering Mesha

This week we celebrated Geoff's mom's birthday. She would be 68! She has been gone for four years now (she passed away five days after her birthday). It is quite remarkable how easy it is to appreciate someone's contribution to your life, your family, and influence in general, when that person is gone. Mesha was a powerful, creative, ministering, nurturing, and influential person on so many levels. She is greatly missed, but her life and choices and good works continue to bless her posterity. We continue to feel her guiding, encouraging and spiritual influence in our lives. Knowing she is on our side in Heaven is comforting and strengthening!

Given her love of all things beautiful, we had hoped to go to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point, something she would have loved to do, BUT it was raining buckets, so we met at Emily's home and ate and enjoyed each other's company.

When we gather with Geoff's four siblings that live in Utah, there are so many things happening at once! A book being read, a ball being thrown, a wrestle and tickle, food being prepared, several conversations going on, kids asking questions, aunts and uncles trying to get shy nieces to engage in eye contact, etc. All in one room! It is lively and full of love.

On grandparent's birthdays we try to do something that reminds us of that person. We have hamburgers, chips and soda on my dad's birthday, since that was a childhood, Saturday tradition in his family. On my mom's birthday we get gelato, because my mom LOVES gelato. This year we changed Mesha's birthday tradition from a tea party (something she loved to do with the girls when they were young) to Geoff and I giving a small gift to the girls, and we invited them to give a small gift to someone too. Mesha loved giving and receiving small gifts. Adele takes after her grandmother in this love language, so she was especially excited about this birthday tradition!

Yesterday we continued birthday celebrations by meeting up with Em, Mike and Bailey to do temple work for many of Mesha's ancestors. She was, and continues to be, a spiritual force. This is definitely the best gift we could give to her.

We then went to eat good Mexican food because it was Cinco de Mayo, and because Mexican food is always a good idea!

Happy Birthday, Mesha!