Life is Beautiful

On Thursday, June 25 Clark's grandmother, Afton Miller died. The evening of her death I was outside my parents' home enjoying the beautiful weather with my three children. The boys were happily tooling around on their big wheels/riding toys. Eliza for the first time was discovering what the needles of a pine tree felt like. Of course, she was fascinated. Even if it poked her a little or made her fingers feel slightly tacky. Jaron and Russell had discovered an ant hill and were trying to figure out ways of capturing an ant. Or at least figure out how to look deeper into their home.

Russell trying to catch the sunlight streaming through the window.

Around that same time, 1,300 miles away, Grandma Miller was leaving the Mt. Timpanogos temple on her way home. In a bittersweet act of God she was killed in a car accident by an unfortunate mistake of another driver. She was practically "twinkled" as Clark's other Grandmother affectionately termed it. Her life on this earth quickly slipped away as I watched my children discover their world.

I have wept over this juxtaposition. I wish for a small moment of time our separate "worlds" could have merged for my children to meet and know this wonderful, amazing, adventurous woman. She said to me on several occasions, as she chuckled on the quirkiness of little children, "I really would like to know what they are like when they grow up. I'm sad that I'm not going to be around when it happens." I hope someday my children will come to realize the influence and effect that she had on their life. As well as their other grandparents and great-grandparents.

Jaron throwing rocks into a stream in Hot Springs National Park.

I would like to know what she was thinking that day. I would like to know what she pondered as she sat in the Celestial room of the temple that day. Did she realize how close she really was to going home and being reunited to her husband? Did she realize that she was perhaps making the best preparation possible that day for what was about to occur?

Eliza, about 6 weeks ago, discovering the feel of a rose.

Life is beautiful.

There are miracles everywhere we turn. I'm realizing more and more each day that we need to stand back and take in and treasure these moments and experiences.

We'll miss you Grandma Miller.