Rest Peacefully

Amasa Mac Belnap. I remember it like it was yesterday, playing with blocks on his living room floor, the toy piano phone, the back room where we just rode around in the wheelchair that he eventually needed all the time. His electric scooter racing down the sidewalk and tipping over the edge, basketball in the driveway, green beans in the backyard. He was my mother's grandpa. My grandpa's father. And my great-grandfather. What an amazing man.

He passed on May 13th, 2011. And the news wasn't a shock. He had a stroke about ten years ago and at 93 he was just barely hanging on.

On the wednesday night before his funeral and after his death I get a call from my uncle. "Hey will you make the trip to your home so we can go to grandpa's funeral?" Gladly, in ten minutes my wonderful boss let me have work off and arrangements were made.

Three-thirty the next morning we were on our way. After one hour of sleep that night, I opted to sleep most of the drive up. It was great to hug sweet Emmalee, and Adam and Austin and Brooklyn. To see my lovely parents. To see Jordan, Michael and my best friend Brianna Anderson. 

I didn't have much time with the people I love, but it was just enough to get me through this summer.

We went up to the funeral in Oregon saturday morning. This is my first funeral and I've never seen a dead body. 

He looked plastic. 

He didn't look like the cute wrinkly grandpa mac.

Obviously, he looked like a peaceful dead body.

I wouldn't of expected his body to just be there grinning, his spirit is the part that's happy, in heaven with Jesus and Heavenly Father. 

We met all the family members that we're supposed to know, but don't. We shook a lot of hands, went through a lot of names and hugged precious great-grandma Fern. She's an amazing woman. 

All gathered together, we said the family prayer. And there was silence. Everyone had smiles up to this point, but Bryden holding onto my hand started crying… I pulled him into my shoulder and he just poured out tears. The spirit was in that room, the spirit of grandpa Mac and the spirit of the holy ghost. And if anyone can feel that spirit, it's Bryden. The silence was broken-- "Uncle Davie" said, "I think that's the longest our family has ever shut up…"

Grandpa Mac would be laughing in heaven, as we all were in that small room filled with people.

The funeral started and I just didn't think I would cry. The first song made the tissue box necessary. It was his time, but he still lived a life full of memories and accomplishments to reminisce about, laugh about and cry about. The talks were wonderful, the songs were wonderful and then we sang "Families Can Be Together Forever." Well, they sang it, while I just cried. I watched Grandma Fern sing out those words, I watched Grandma Belnap sing out those words, I watched Bryden sing out those words. One day, we ALL will die, but I can be with my family forever. Just in that room, our whole chapel was filled with family that I get to be with again.

We buried him in the ground. Carl said a beautiful prayer. And from this day on we will live with his spirit and example, as we don't have his physical presence. 

Great-grandpa Mac was an incredible man.

And this was a weekend to remember.

Heavenly Father knew exactly when to call him home, so that I could be there and so that I could see my family in Washington just when I needed it.