My Grandma Butters passed away in 2009. She was a huge light in my life and I still feel her influence around me. I missed her funeral, because we were on a family cruise…we had our own memorial on the ship.
Gary gave each of us a copy of Marcie’s blog for Christmas last year… I found this sweet funeral story in it.
Marcie writes: Nov. 17, 2009. (Day after Grandma's funeral). The funeral for the most part was bittersweet. Goodbyes to Grandma were not fun, but the memories are fantastic. A couple of best memories I will always have of the day are the thick feeling of family love. One of the Uncles said that this is what the day felt like, a day of love. Another memory will always be my opportunity to lead the congregational singing. I was fine with the idea until I got up to do it and looked down at all the "boobs" in the family crying. I looked at Gary and he was tearing up, so next at Megan who was even worse, mom was really bad as was everyone else. We were singing one of Grandma's favorites, "Because I have been Given Much" # 219. Since the introduction was coming to a close I knew I had to pull it together fast. I looked up and saw a beautifully smiling face in the audience. Sitting there smiling at me was Grandma's friend, Marjean Toone. Her smile kept me focused and calm and in control for the whole song and for the closing song, "Love One Another # 308. Late I told Marjean thank you for being the smiling face in the audience I could connect with. She told me that she looked up at me and knew that it was going to be hard, so she put a smile on her face and hoped that I would look at her. She then told me a sweet story about taking Grandma to work at the Salt Lake temple for the first time. Grandma didn't want to be separated from her friend. She was nervous and told Marjean the whole way into Salt Lake that she wanted her locker to be near to hers. Marjean told her that there were no empty lockers near hers, but all would be okay. Grandma kept saying that she was going to get things changed and that if they didn't she wasn't going to stay. (She's a spitfire) Marjean says that she went to the locker room to change and waited and waited but no Grandma. She went to prayer meeting and looked around but no Grandma. She thought, "well, she went home." Just then Grandma came into the room all dressed and smiling. Marjean asked her if she got things all taken care of with the changing of the lockers. Grandma told her I couldn't change lockers, I was assigned locker #219. ( It was just the sign she needed.)
I love thinking of this story and how GOD was there for my Grandma. I've had times like this when GOD stepped in and I received a clear sign that He was there and all would be well.
Music is powerful. It's one of the ways I feel the spirit and get messages from GOD.
You can call these Tender mercies, or God winks or Divine signatures. Whatever you call them, I know they are real.
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