Some thoughts at Poppa's passing

One of the things I found interesting about getting married 
was going from being part of one family to two.  A whole other sets of grandparents, aunts uncles, cousins, people you basically don't know from Adam that in a instance become "family".


Because Ben and I dated so long (1999-2005...with the exception of one very sad summer for Benny, and our missions) I already knew his parents and siblings VERY well (he's the oldest of 8, and the youngest was not even a year when we started dating, so she's basically never known her brother Ben with Chelsea too.)


But the extended family was a bit different. 


Takes time and patience and observation and asking questions and really listening and trying to keep everyone straight to make a meaningful relationship out of a mere"relative"


Poppa was easy.

Poppa liked to talk. He liked to share: his thoughts, his opinions, his testimony, his theories on microwaves, his full-endorsement of DeVry (every grandchild will chuckle at this), his genealogy, his time, his love.


Poppa was incredible smart and has an unbelievable story.






He left us, his posterity with many things...

A certain recognizable head-shape (that needn't be covered by hair) and maybe the ears too!

A sense of our heritage. he was a great family historian, loved the temple, exemplified the role of a patriarch, and often spoke lovingly an hopefully of his posterity.

Wisdom...

....and more wisdom.

The first time I heard Poppa speak in church he was reporting his church-service mission as a employment specialist. The meeting had long since gone overtime and the poor Bishop, realizing Henri was just getting warmed up looked helpless on the stand. Finally, his wife, June, got up and tugged on his suit jacket. He looked down at his little cue cards, and apologized to the audience, "I've only got through two of my twelve cards, but my wife's telling me it's time end...perhaps another time"

I wonder if he feels like that now, his time on earth running out, but he still would have loved to share more.

I'm sure he is still sharing. { What happens after we die}

Henri sharing his ice cream with Ben's other grandpa Albert.

Such a great picture, of the men who's blood flows through my husband's veins and now mingles with mine, in my sons. 

Both left a legacy. Both are missed. I hope I can through my own memories and the journals and memoirs they left, help my children"know" them and learn from their examples.