The Legacy

This past Monday my Grandmom went home. Heaven. Her suffering on this earth is now over and she's in glory with her Savior. As we celebrated her life over the last couple of days I learned a couple of things about her that I wish I would have known when she was alive.

Fact #1: She never wanted to be a farmers wife. She was a "city girl" who fell in love with a farmer. One of their wedding gifts was 125 chickens, no wonder she wasn't smiling in any of her wedding pictures! She candled eggs (google it, I had no idea what it was either), made all of her children's clothes, kept the books for their business, and raised seven wonderful children.

Fact #2: She was always in heels. I didn't see a picture of her when she wasn't fully "ready" for her day. There was even a picture of her when we all surprised her on Christmas morning, and out she came, skirt, heels, hair done. I learned later from one of my aunts, that she did this for my grandfather. He delivered milk, and always thought that if the woman met him at the door in their "house coat," they were lazy. Grandmom submitted to his expectation of a wife and mother and honored his wishes. What a great example to follow.

Fact #3: My grandparents loved each other, DEEPLY. Grandmom really hadn't been the same since Grandpop died almost 10 years ago. After 58 years of marriage, their love was stronger than ever. One Christmas Grandpop forgot to get Grandmom a Christmas card (we don't even get Christmas cards for each other), so he wrote her a note to apologize. At the age of 73 he says, "To the best wife a man could ever have" and "this has been the best year of our lives so far, and know that the next will be even better." He cherished her, adored her, LOVED her. I think that speaks volumes about, not only their marriage, but about the woman she was.

It was a bittersweet day. Tears, laughs, time with family. The legacy my grandparents left is long and deep. 7 children, 20 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren, and 5 more on the way. I am proud to be an Entwistle. I am proud of my family and the beauty that each of them brings to my life. I love the diversity, the quirks, the similarities. Most of all I love that in each of us, we are carrying the legacy on.

Garrett, Uncle Jeff (second son), and Rob (one of my 16 cousins).

Aunt Cathy bouncing Gideon.

Avery, Ange, Gideon and Nate.

My cousin Jenn's oldest daughter, Kayleigh, turned 13. Of course we had to embarrass her by singing to her. From left to right, Aunt Joyce, Aunt Sharon, Kayleigh, Marsh, and Jenn.

Shaylan, Olivia and Esther playing together.

Nate and Garrett

My dad John, the youngest sibling, with the oldest sibling, Aunt Ginny.

Olivia and Katie playing together.

From bottom left to right: Joe, Aunt Sharon, Aunt Ginny, Aunt Peggy, Aunt Joyce (all 4 daughters), Aunt Wendy and Uncle Jim (the oldest son).

Aunt Judy and Ange

Aunt Wendy, Uncle Jim, Uncle Roy (my grandfather's brother) and Andrew.

My dad, Rob, Marsh and Aunt Sharon.

Ange, Avery and Bekah (another cousin).

Nate, Garrett and Esther get ready for a game.

It was a long day so Garrett sunggled up with Grammy at the end of the night. If you know Garrett, you know you've never seen him that still in the midst of all those people. He must have been really tired!