Thank you, thank you, thank you

This past week, my grandfather passed away.

Some folks live far away from many of their relatives, and so don't get the chance to see those loved ones very much.  So I count myself quite blessed that my Grandpa Sorensen lived only an hour away from me growing up.  I can recall many of the visits my family had over at his and Grandma's little house just off of the Carlsbad beach.  They were always quite similar:  we'd go and play board games and dominoes, Grandma and Mom would cook us excellent dinners, and we'd usually top it off with some jello topped with whipped cream.  Sometimes Grandma would play the organ or we'd go down to the beach, but it was always something to look forward to.

The last few years of his life, Grandpa lived alone.  His wife died some years before he did.  But the visits remained largely the same; Grandpa remained the same energetic, upbeat, and admirable man as ever.  He'd reminisce fondly on times with Grandma, and he'd speculate about what she was doing now, but I can't remember it ever really dampening his spirits.  He lived with a calm surety that he'd see her again, and in the meantime, he'd enjoy the time he still had here.

He was also a patriarch, so I was fortunate enough to have him give me a patriarchal blessing.  He was there when I received my endowment in the temple.  He always recited a wonderful poem for us called "Wreckers or Builders" (I highly recommend it), which, whether he knew it or not, I've thought back to often in my college years.

When I heard he died, it wasn't an earth-shattering shock.  I didn't expect it, necessarily, but he was well-advanced in years, and so I was able to accept the news fairly normally.  Of course I'll miss him.  Of course I'll miss the visits, and the poems, and seeing him in the temple.  But if Grandpa taught me anything, it was to look forward optimistically to the day that we'll see our loved ones again.  In the meantime, I'll enjoy my time with the ones that are still here with me.

So for that lesson, Grandpa, all I can say is:  thank you, thank you, thank you!

(This past week, I've been working on a song that I wanted to learn in order to commemorate Grandpa.  I didn't write it; it's a song called "The Last Goodbye" by Billy Boyd.  But I hope you enjoy my cover of it.

So I've linked this to a Google Document.  Hopefully you guys won't have any problems opening it.  When you reach the page, in the top left corner, there's a down arrow icon - you can use that to download the file.  It should run in any major audio player (Windows Media Player, iTunes, Quicktime Player, etc.).  If not, send me a message or something.  I'll see about helping you out.)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1UWix0l4yxnQTJ2RzlRX0NZdnc/view?usp=sharing