When I Must Leave You

We headed to SLC for my Grandpa's funeral. (Girl's Great Grandpa's) 

I grew up next door to my Grandma and Grandpa and spent quite a lot of time with them over the years.

My favorite memories of my Grandpa include:

Mowing his grass with him - I LOVE grass and especially mowing it.  He and I would mow his grass regularly, empty out the bags into the wheelbarrow and then wheel them into our pasture for the bedding for the goats.  

Howdy!  He always told me howdy when I saw him or talked to him on the phone 

Corn, Peppers, Tomatoes, Snap Peas, any fresh vegetables really!  My Grandpa was a talented farmer.  He always knew how to grow the best produce.  He and his brothers owned a business called Brock Brother's Produce.  They would farm all sorts of vegetables with the grandkids and then the grandkids would sell them at road-side stands.  These were always picked fresh that morning to sell.  He was famous for his Sweet Corn - The BEST most wonderful corn ever!  Sweet and Crisp.  I would go out early with him to gather in the produce.  I would drive the old truck while he followed along behind loading the potatoes into the bed of the truck.  We would pick fresh bell peppers in the early morning and he would have half and I would have half.  

His house was always a magical place with tons of grass and sidewalks, lots and lots of flowers, with an enclosed patio with games and books.  He even had a dog named Shasta that had puppies one year!  He had a pasture adjoining his and our lots and it was one of my favorite things to explore.

Snap Peas - I would always go into his home garden with him to pick the peas that were ready!

He has a glider in his backyard that would go really high!  We would ride on that for hours.

He always had ice cream in the freezer to share!  Cherry Chocolate IceCream.  My absolute favorite!  

Church Service - He was the Stake Secretary for as long as I or probably anyone can remember :)  He was always organizing and directing church events and coordinating everything to make it run smoothly.  Shoveling Snow off of Sidewalks.  I remember him always being the Priesthood at Girls Camp.  One year we were doing a handcart trek with the Youth and our camp was surrounded by Indians running around and hollering.  Someone said "Is that your Grandpa?"  And I said "Yeah, I think so!"  He was a very very good man!

He took care of his Mom when she fell and broke her hip.  He and his brothers and sisters would take turns bringing in meals to her and turning her over in bed and the other hundreds of tasks of taking care of her, her home and her large yard.  I would accompany him many times to visit her, to help her and to talk to her.  I was always impressed with the way that he talked to her - very gently and with much love.  

He would always offer something to eat - a ham sandwich with a pop.  What a treat!

Or a long-sliced cucumber with salt on it.  Or Liverwurst on Rye Bread - admittedly not my favorite back then, but I always ate everything he gave me...now I crave Liverwurst on Rye Bread because it reminds me of him!

Weenie Roasts - The Brock family had annual reunions on Memorial Day.  Grandpa was always in charge of making the Root Beer and bringing the special German Weenies!

He was always happy!  He was always whistling!  A whistle on his lips and a smile on his face.  He was a giving man always looking for a need and serving wherever he could.  He was always running around produce to his neighbors and friends.  

He drove around an old rusty baby blue truck.  I loved being next to him on that big bench seat .

Irrigation - He would irrigate the back lawn and his vegetable garden.  I would go with him to turn it on and then be out with him in my irrigation boots and overalls digging out any debris so the water could run freely.  

His Hat - Grandpa always had a hat on when he was out of the house.  

He was truly a reflection of the Savior - In word and in deed.  He wasn't a man of many words - and you wouldn't have found him giving a sermon.  He gave the most lasting and important sermon by the way that he lived every day.  Helping, Blessing, Lifting, Sharing, Working.  He will be very missed.  His funeral was a touching tribute to a wonderful man who lived an incredible life!

"When I Must Leave You"

by Helen Steiner Rice

When I must leave you
For a little while-
Please do not grieve
And shed wild tears
And hug your sorrow to you
Through the years,

But start out bravely
With a gallant smile;
And for my sake
And for my name
Live on and do
All things the same,

Feed not your loneliness
On empty days,
But fill each waking hour
In useful ways,

Reach out your hand
In comfort and in cheer
And I in turn will comfort you
And hold you near;

And never, never
Be afraid to die
For I am waiting for you in the sky!

We Remember Them

In the rising of the sun and its going down,
We Remember Them.

In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter,
We Remember Them.

In the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring.
We Remember Them.

In the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer,
We Remember Them.

In the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn.
We Remember Them.

In the beginning of the year and when it ends,
We Remember Them.

When we are weary and in need of strength,
We Remember Them.

When we are lost and sick of heart,
We Remember Them.

When we have joy we crave to share,
We Remember Them.

When we have decisions that are difficult to make

We remember them.

When we have achievements that are based on theirs

We remember them.

So long as we live, they too will live, for they are now a part of us as
We Remember Them.


Every time I mow my lawn, I remember him
Every time I eat Corn on the cob, I remember him
Every time I see a cowboy hat, I remember him
Ever ytime I roast a hot dog, I remember him
Every time I say "Howdy" I remember him

My freezer always has ice cream in it - ready to share with a friend.
There is a good chance it will even be Cherry Chocolate :)

I broke down crying when I saw his hat and work gloves.  It was a good time to be able to share my memories with my girls.  I didn't want to say goodbye and never hear his Howdy again.  But as I saw his body my tears dried and I felt the spirit whisper to my soul that he is Home - His journey and test in life is over and he has set a good example for me to follow.  

The ride to Salt Lake

 Miniature Golf with Uncle Mike and Grandpa (My Dad)
L-R Summer, River, Silver

River REALLY wanted to go Roller Skating!

She was so fun to watch learning to move forward!  At first she didn't move anywhere, and then her loops around the track got faster and faster.

Silver with Daddy

VIDEO:  Silver and Daddy Roller Skating

River

Summer with Daddy and River at right.

At Grandpa's house eating home-canned peaches!

SO yummy!  Summer was SO cute eating these.  She had already had a good breakfast, and then kept eating and eating.   

The girls LOVE to pretend they are panda bears.  Here she is pretending that she is a panda and these are her bamboo leaves :)

VIDEO:  Summer eating her Peaches!

Drinking the juice from the peach bottle!

On the way back home we found a new fabulous activity!

GeoCashing!

We had gone geocashing with family friends the Barons (who just moved to Missouri - they will be missed!) and decided to try it out along the way to break up the trip.  River had seen some tricky hiding of the container before and knew she just needed to look hard.  

I had given up being able to find this one, but she didn't.  River is not a quitter!

It was a small camoflauge container in the middle of a pine tree.  Good for her!

We also found a neat tunnel under the road and area to explore to stretch our legs.  

VIDEO:  Sliding down the hill

VIDEO:  Sliding down the hill Summer

VIDEO:  LandSlide!

Summer

Summer, Silver, Daddy, River

Another Geo-Cache site!

A great family trip!