Remembering ADB

We just got home from California where we celebrated the life of Allen's father who passed away last Tuesday. He'd been battling cancer for nearly a year and a half. We've had some really good times with him over the past few months, but since about Christmas time, things had started to go downhill. The end, which came quickly, was a blessing in many regards. We have been comforted by so many friends, relatives, and by the gospel of Jesus Christ. But we still miss him and find it hard to remember that he is not going to be around anymore. It is strange how the littlest things spark a memory or call to remembrance the void he is leaving in our lives -- going up stairs two at a time like he always did, relishing dessert after a family meal, laughing aloud while watching a good movie. It is so hard to think that our little Leah will never know her Grandpa. He was wonderful man. There must be ways that we can make his memory real to her and to the other grandkids as they get older and look to their grandparents for examples. I wish he'd left journals like Grandpa Hafen and I'm hopeful that some of the things we tried to get him to do over this last year will give our kids some avenues to get to know him -- Allen put together a bunch of questions which Kevin used to record interviews with him, we gave him a book to enter information and memories about various aspects of his life. When things calm down, we're going to try to collect and organize these things. How we wish they didn't have to try to substitute for the man we all loved so much.