Also, thanks for coming to say goodbye to me and give me the opportunity to feel how it will be when we will be together in the eternities. Yes, you have made it lots easier to let you go for now.
You have made it possible for me to get to know the Holy Ghost even better. I've always felt his spirit to be with me. But he has heard our special prayer and truly blessed our family this year. I think there are lots of us who can testify of this special blessing. My problem is its hard for me to even speak of you and my sweetheart without tears coming to my eyes. I've turned into a bawl baby.
Thanks for the memories to carry us through. I think of our opportunity we had over the years. You always made me proud of you when you would show me what you had built with the lego blocks. It was some of the greatest times and memories of my almost 90 years.
To think of our special time at the ranch. We always had a project to do. I still feel bad when I think of what a fool I was when I would get out of sorts because you guys would think up some reason for me to send you into town, to see the Johnson girls. There are lots of things we would do if we could do it over. One of the things I would do - is try to remember how much fun it was to be a teenager and do all those silly things that teenagers do. You made the summers so great for all of us. I sometime have to laugh, even to this day, when something that you guys did - without me knowing about it - brings a laugh to my old heart.
It brings tears to my eyes just talking about you. I just love you so much in so many ways that I wish I could really tell you how which and where. I remember when we first got the ranch Dave, how excited you were when you got down there and saw the beautiful shop. You were just as excited as Grandpa was. We could build all those things that we would like to. When I think of the different projects. You were so anxious to do them.
You were always a person that people liked to be around. I do remember that for a couple of years there you were kind of scared of everybody. You wanted to do things and probably felt like you did not want to butt into their lives. I am so grateful that you butted into my life. I remember when you were all making swords. I think you probably made, I don't know how many? I remember your Dad kept them around for years and years. I don't know if he still has them or not.
That first year at the ranch you had your FBI bubby (Scott Peterson and Matt) with you. That was a good experience. We all really enjoyed life together. You were still kind of bashful. I can remember you telling me, "Grandpa, someone has told me what I have got to do is start walking down the halls - and instead of having my eyes to the floor, that I should have my eyes up and so I can look them in the eyes and smile and say hi!" That first summer was a good summer. I think that finding the people of Orderville was good for you. They were so genuine and so real. That was you - you are so real. You were not put on. It reminds me of my favorite scripture "I glory in plainness. I glory in truth. I glory in my savior, who has redeemed my sole from hell." Well, I think you are alot the same way. I love plainness. You were never a show off and wanted to have the best things in the world. You were always satisfied. Of course your Mom and Dad did a good job of providing. I never heard you wishing you had this or you had that. You seemed to be satisfied with life. This has made you an individual and that was a special blessing our Heavenly Father sent down here with you, so that you could teach us how to be satisfied with the great things the Lord has blessed us with.
I recall how proud I was when you asked me to help you with your Eagle Project. I think it was little rocking chairs for the kids in the hospital. We spent the better part of the summer working. You had some of your buddies come over and help sand some of the stuff. You were a good organizer. You found out to get people to work for you is to let them learn to like you first. Then you could always pull them in to work as a friend. You influenced your neighborhood kids to come over and help you on the project. It was your ideas of doing and urging people on to look forward to something that was pretty good.
I know down at the ranch you always had us a project going. You would come along and say "Grandpa, let do this or do that." I smile when I think about the wind cart we made. I believe it is still down there, or it was, I am not sure where it is now. I remember how we put that together. Whenever we couldn't do something - you would say "I don't know Grandpa?" Then I had the opportunity to say "Hey, there are always two ways to do things. When the first one doesn't work come up with plan B." Sometimes plan B is a little help from the Holy Ghost that maybe the second time around is better than the way we were going to do it. It was always fun.
The work that we did, we joked around and had a lot of fun. The best part is when I had you and the Bodell Boys come up every year too. I would put you to work and you kind of enjoyed it. I remember we pretty much burned up Southern Utah (well not really), but we easily could have done burning up that thistle. We had a great big pile of it and we lit it on fire. I can't remember if it was Joe or Jake ran into grab the gas can that we had left in the middle. They ran in and saved the day. I remember sitting on the wind cart the first day, sitting by the shop and you were riding. We pushed off and went through the gate and almost all the way down to the highway. We thought that was the greatest fun. There were little things like that we did that made us all a little closer to each other.
Remember those tires that we put across that lower pond. We strung the line across and then every so often we hung the tires that would swing. The ideas was to swing from one tire to the other tire. We only used it that one summer. It was a pretty good project that year. We built the zip line from the upper barn to the downstairs. After your mission or just before you went on your mission. It was getting to the end of the year and you said "Grandpa,we haven't done our project yet. We took some old scaffolding that the boys had sent down that OSHA had suggested we get rid of. We made the walkway out to the pond and we built a yard arm over the pond to swing out over the pond and drop in. I know that quite a few of them that frowned upon it and thought it was kind of dangerous. We used that for quite a few years. After your mission we started building the little train. You were always excited about anything we could put on wheels and have fun with and you were always right with me.
You made a dent in several of those kids in Orderville. You did the things our Heavenly Father would like you to do. There were several of the families that would say "We sure like that old Dave." You made a big impression on the wonderful people that they are down there. That is one of the reasons they took us in and loved us as much as they did.
I have so many, many good things like every body else that has written on the blog. I am so thankful you were in my life and taught me patients and love of other people. The year you came down at the beginning Bishop Esplin - one of the greatest guys in the world, had a lot to do with you dropping out of your scaredness. I think he taught you that you are a real son of God, that God loves you and that you had a mission to do, which you have accomplished, because your back there.
Your old Grand Dad here - I've been waiting for you to make arrangement for me to get me there with you so you can teach me. I can learn along with you. I bet you are having a great time learning how the world was made and the things that we have got to do to make life so the Savior can return to us. I don't want to stay that long. I want to come home and get a head start along with you. I hope that you are taking care of that little sweety of mine. That old Grandma I bet is sure glad your there - you and James. She has two grandkids that are taking good care of her. If you don't I am going to come kick your pants when I get up there, for not taking care of her. No (laughing), I am sure you have the love for her and the special woman she was. I am sure she is just as anxious to get hold of my ear as you are maybe.
I am so thankful for you David and the opportunity of being your Grand Dad. I always hope and pray I will be worthy, and as you see me that you will be able to come over and put your arm around me and say "Hey, this is my Grand Dad". I want you to be proud of me, like I am proud of you. We love you an awful lot Dave.
Love, your grandpa
A treasured tribute. Thank you Dad for describing so many memories. Thank you Dixie for transcribing them and working on projects with Dad now.
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