I was asked this week to share a Thanksgiving memory and as I thought back, I'd have to say one that I always think about this time of year was very bittersweet.
I think I was in middle school this particular year and we were planning to have our Thanksgiving dinner at Grammy and Grampa's place out in Burns Valley. I remember Dad getting a call early that morning from the local sheriff about a car they had found overturned on Hwy 20. A young couple with their two year old and 6 month old were headed in the early morning to visit family for Thanksgiving and sadly, their car rolled and the parents were killed. Miraculously, the babies survived with no injuries.
Because Dad was the Branch President at that time, the authorities contacted him when they found this couple to be wearing temple garments. The children were brought to us to keep safe until the grandparents could get there. They were very quiet, not fussy or hysterical with only a few minor scratches and bumps. I'm guessing they were probably in shock trying to process who we were and the events of the early morning.
I remember so vividly the moment the grandparents arrived. We were eating dinner and I had been thinking all day as we waited for them to get there, how grateful I was that my parents were alive. I felt so sorry for these little kids that they didn't have either of their parents anymore, and I thought how quickly life can change.
The grandparents were somber but calm. They gathered the babies in their arms and you could just see how much they were loved. It was so evident that these babies would have a loving home to go to. I couldn't help but think that as they held them they had mixed emotions of what a gift it was to have some part of the parents left to hold and love and yet a huge hole in their heart for the loss of their own kids. It was a quiet exchange and they expressed their gratitude to my Dad and our family providing a place for the babies until they could arrive.
I know the grandparents had that "bigger picture" that these babies would be reunited one day with their parents and that was a consolation that would get them through the hard times as they grieved. The picture of my family handing over these little babies was a quiet exchange handled with care, a quiet respect for life and the knowledge that eternal families are a gift.
I was at an age when I took for granted my parents and the experience that day, for me, was a very visual lesson and reminder of the value of family. I appreciated my own parents and family that day so much and was absolutely grateful for all of them.
Every Thanksgiving Day I remember this bittersweet story...probably my most memorable Thanksgiving that left a lifelong impression in my heart.
Families ARE forever...Happy Thanksgiving to our family this year. Enjoy each other!
I remember that too, but not with such great detail and perception. Thank you for sharing. I remember being at the accident site, I remember mom trying to feed the unweaned infant and I vaguely remember the family coming. I remember thinking 'of course mom would care for the babies'! Have a wonderful holiday! Love to all.
ReplyDeleteJulie
a "Paul Harvey" memory add-on: a phone call that wk frm a Ft.Bragg ward member, first on the scene that day, saw the garments, stayed with the babies and called in the wreck (a head-on ), she told the sheriff whom to call to care for the boys. At redbud, a member of our branch was on duty for the boys and stayed over til we came. The baby, named Scott, and 6 mo old as was our Scott, fussed and struggled against bottle-feeding at each meal, then he looked up past my shoulder, smiled sweetly, and calmly accepted his bottle. such a deep, lasting memory of the watching over of children.
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