I wanted to give a quick update on our Thanksgiving trip to Illinois. In the previous post I mentioned how worried and sad I was about the prospect of visiting without one set of Grandparents there anymore. While it was a sad trip, God showed himself in powerful ways. I had my moments of sadness, but the trip was fuller of joy and reunions that it was sadness.
Scott and I had a great visit with my living grandparents, and Scott got to know them for the first time, which is fantastic. I realized that I am such a Grandpa’s girl, and that I would do anything for him, so it was great catching up with my “Pap”. I also had a great time talking with my Grandma. We could just sit for hours telling stories and talking about life, so it was fantastic spending time with her!
One miracle that happened was that my Grandpa opened up for the first time about his life in the Army. He served for 21 months in Korea as a drafted solider during the war, and has never talked about it. As Scott and I were sitting there talking to him, Scott told Pap that he was going to be joining the Army after College. Shortly after this I went into the kitchen to talk to Grandma, and Pap proceeded to regale Scott with stories for the next hour. It was so great to hear that my Grandpa had finally opened up!
The trip was also very healing. Scott and I went to the cemetery to visit my Grandparents grave, and although it was hard to be there and see their names written in cold, hard iron, it was very healing to be able to cry and accept that they really are gone. I left there with fewer memories of sadness, and more memories of joy.
That’s just a short summary of our trip, but all in all, it was such a blessing to go to Illinois for Thanksgiving, and it was a great reminder of all the things we have to give Thanks for.
-Sarah
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