Of Daughters and Fathers . . .

I haven't blogged for over a week! I'm feeling the dreaded blogger's backlog - where you know you have too much to write about to try and catch up, so you don't write at all, but then it sort of haunts you and you finally give in. Today I have to write. And it's going to be deep stuff, so sit down and grab a hankie.

The women in the picture are some of my favorite people in the world! One is my mom. One is my aunt. They are sisters to each other. They are daughters of Victor J. Nelson, my grandfather, who passed away at the age of 90 last Thursday. I would love to spend this entire post writing about my grandpa and his life, but my father and cousin have both done that so beautifully on their blogs, that I won't do that here. Instead, I'm going to take just a moment to talk about his legacy and then share a few photographs from the day and a half I spent in Utah attending his funeral.

My grandfather's legacy lies within his seven children. They are all amazing people, but all for very different reasons. One of the best decisions I've ever made was to buy a plane ticket at the very last moment to go to his funeral, where I got to spend time with these seven children all gathered together, which is a very rare occurrence. It was such an honor for me to be a silent witness to the remarkable posterity my grandfather created with his wife Louise. I can honestly say that I truly enjoy and love my aunts and uncles. I could write an entire post about each sibling and why they are so fantastic! But I don't have time - so today I'm focusing on just one.

I think the moment that touched my heart the deepest during my quick visit was watching the funeral director give my Aunt Laura the flag that had draped my grandfather's casket. I feel such a debt of gratitude to this aunt, who has lived closest to my grandfather for the past five years and has borne the largest part of the burden of caring for him in his decline. I hold a great reverence for the example she has set as a daughter towards her father. I am thankful that she was willing to do what many of her other siblings could not do because of distance and other obligations. I hope to be that kind of daughter to my father - devoted to the very end. She is a humble and sweet woman and I will treasure the moment captured in this picture forever. Written on her face is the love of a daughter for her father.

I can't really put to words many of the feelings I had over the two days I was with my extended family. I am so very glad I could be there with and for my mother. She has also been a great example to me of a daughter who loves her father. She left Virginia and some pretty heavy commitments at a moment's notice when she heard her father had taken a turn for the worse. She spent the last week of his life by his side, caring for him, comforting him and watching him finish his journey. That was a brave and hard thing to do, but I know she will not regret the decision for the rest of her life. My love for her grew as I watched the graceful and sincere way that she dealt with the passing of her father. It cemented in my mind a deep love and respect that she has for him. It changed me - in a good way.

With all the emotions I've encountered this year with my dad's cancer, I know that I am not ready to say goodbye to my parents. I do not feel that I have yet done all I can to be a good daughter to them - to bring honor to their names. But I do recognize that with the passing of my last grandparent, I need to do all that I can now, so when that day does come, I will feel no regret and will know that my mother and my father felt all the love a daughter could give.