Thursday, January 21, 2010

Tribute to my Dad!




Ten years ago, my older sister, at the age of 44, as my mother would always say, "left us for a better world..." on breast cancer. At that time, that was the saddest day of my life. My sister, Renate Ann, left behind 6 children and a husband. Wednesday, January 13, has now become another saddest day of my life, because my Dad returned home to our Heavenly Father. I know that when he peacefully left us, that my sister was there to greet him and welcome him home. Renate was the leader of the crowd. And standing next to Renate was one of my Dad’s favorite sisters and Renate’s favorite, Aunt Mary, who passed away a year ago December. My Dad came from a family of 9 brothers and sisters. He has an older brother and sister who are 92 and 91, that are still alive and two younger brothers that are here with us today. The middle children have all now passed away!
When we were growing up and even as adults, my Dad would always tell us that he would live until the millennium. We had thought that our mom would probably pass away before my Dad. I am sure when he crossed over to the other side, he was confused and turned and said, "No, wait...Mom is suppose to me here, not me. This is wrong, you got it confused." I know that my Dad is missing my mom as much as my mom is missing my Dad. I believe he is probably doing all in his power to get them back together again. And as much as we want to see our mom stay with us for a very LONG time, I know there will be much rejoicing when they are together forever! In the scriptures we read, that neither is the man without the woman nor the woman without the man. This was truly written of my parents.
How do I pay tribute to my Dad in such a short time? I could probably talk forever but won’t. When you talk about my Dad, you also talk about my mom. They were INSEPARABLE! You didn’t see one without the other! Even in photos they were together. We don’t have too many pictures of either one of them standing without the other. In fact, many times, especially in the earlier years they wore matching or coordinating clothes! They truly became one in word, deed, service, action and love.
My Dad may have been on the more quiet side and a man of very few words, but when he spoke, like in the EF Hutton commercial everyone listened. The last time this happened was at Spencer’s setting apart Tuesday night. The stake president asked each of us to give Spencer a word of advice before entering the MTC. My Dad did so and at the end bore an extremely powerful strong testimony of the Gospel, the love of missionary work and the love for his family. We were telling this to my Uncle Heinz and my uncle’s response was, "...see all these people from Haiti were coming home and the Lord needed your Dad to help teach them the gospel. So He had my Dad come home." My Dad had a strong testimony of the gospel. He loved to teach the gospel and loved missionary work. He was so proud of Ron serving a mission and of his 8 of the 19 grandchildren who have served or are serving missions. We still have some who are too young to serve right now, but I know they will when they are of age.
We didn’t have a lot of money growing up and my parents felt we couldn’t afford to do a lot of things or go on big expensive trips! I never felt we were poor, but I always felt "rich." Not only "rich" but important and loved. My parents, and most likely it was my mother, made our birthdays very special. Our 8th, 12th, 16th, and so forth - my parents made them especially fun and memorable. I remember turning 12, in grade school, we could walk home for lunch. My mom told me to hurry home for lunch for my Dad was taking me for pizza! At that time people didn’t go out to lunch or dinner like we do today.
Now in looking back, my parents probably couldn’t afford for both to go to lunch and so my mom, being the unselfish mother that she is, thought to let my Dad go and enjoy this special time with me. I will always remember that birthday because not only did I have lunch with my Dad, but the unselfish act of my mom.
Wednesdays growing up, was my Dad’s day off! During the summer, that was a very fun day with the family. I think we spent those days swimming at Saratoga! We would pack up the car and sometimes it would be full of our friends and drove to Lehi. We sang and had lots of fun. Sometimes the drive to Saratoga was as fun as swimming. Now most of you know that one of the things my Dad lacked was a singing voice! But he loved to sing and he would come up with these fun and unusual songs! In fact, Robby wrote us an email yesterday and said:
 
"The Sunday drives were always good we would be in the middle of nowhere and he would see like a bird or a cow or like an empty house and he would start singing a song about birds, cows, or empty houses and they would always rhyme so perfectly! To this day I don’t know if he was just making them up or if they were actual songs!"
 
We all loved these songs, including our friends, and thought it fun that Dad and Grandpa would sing these songs! These songs would truly make us laugh!
I remember one of our swimming days, I was trying to learn how to swim. My Dad was almost to the middle of the pool and stretched out his hands and said, "Just swim to me. That’s it." I remember telling him to stay right there. I started swimming and swimming and swimming. I got to the other side of the pool and I was so angry, because HE MOVED. And every time I would interrupt him to point out he moved, he was always answered me back, "Yea but look, you did it, you swam across the pool. You did it." Until I would realize that the important thing was that I DID IT! My parents always encouraged us to "do it." And they were so very proud of us when we succeeded!
I was one of the most liked student at Highland High School because of my Dad! As you know, my Dad was the store manager at Dan’s. How cool it was to be Marion’s daughter or to have Marion as your father, people would tell me. And yes, I was very proud to be my Dad’s daughter. The baggers and checkers all loved my Dad. They loved working for him because he was an honest, fair and hard working boss. Bruce had the opportunity of working for my Dad and loved his years at Dan’s. I think Dan’s on 21st was the most successful grocery store because of my Dad.
My parents taught us to be good hard workers. "An honest pay for an honest day’s work" would be their motto. I think in whatever jobs we had, we were the best employees because of our parents.
As I was completing my high school years, and thinking about college, my Dad finally got it out of me that I was too nervous about furthering my education and the U was too big for me. A college education was important to my parents and so my Dad suggested that I go to the LDS Business College because of my love of typing, shorthand, and other business classes. It was one of the best suggestions my parents had. After graduation I started working at the Church Office Building as a typist and moved myself up very quickly to be a secretary and then was promoted to Office Coordinator in the Missionary Department, a position that a young woman at that time could NOT achieve. I know I would not have progressed that far if it wasn’t for the encouragement and suggestion of my parents!
So many other stories I could tell you. My Dad loved serving our Heavenly Father. Every calling he had he served well. The saying goes: "Behind every great man is an even greater woman." That is so true. My mom was always there to support my Dad in all his callings. I thought it was cool that my Dad served as a bishop and my mom as the Relief Society President at the same time. My mom was called to serve as the Relief Society President several months earlier. When my Dad was called to be bishop, the stake president told my Dad that he talked it over with Bishop Theurer and they both felt that my Dad should not release my mom as Relief Society President. I believe it was a great idea. They served together for several years. Again, they were INSEPARABLE and they worked excellent together
My parents have a strong testimony of the gospel and have a lot of faith. Not only did they teach us but they showed us by example. Thursday morning my mom asked if I would give the morning prayer. I said in a sarcastic way, "Yea, how I can thank Heavenly Father for our blessings when He has taken Dad so quickly." My mom’s response was, "Yes you can, for Heavenly Father has truly blessed us." And our Father in Heaven has truly blessed us all. He has blessed me with two great parents, who not only love the Lord but loved each other and their children. They taught us how to be the best we can be. They taught us a love of the gospel and a firm foundation of gospel truth. I am so grateful for my parents. I am grateful, especially at this time, for my Father. He will truly be missed by all. As I continue to serve our Heavenly Father, I know my Dad will continue to be proud of me. I know that my Dad, my parents love me. I know that my Dad is in Heaven preparing for us to be together forever as a family again. This time there will be no separation, no heartache, no tears. But great joy and happiness.
Dad, I love you! I will miss you. I will miss your words of wisdom. I know that I will see you again. I will continue to keep the commandments, serve our Heavenly Father, and be there for mom so that we can truly be together forever! May we all live so that there will be a day of rejoicing when we all return to our Father in Heaven

Robby's Tribute Email to Grandpa Black


January 14, 2010President gave me permission to e-mail you guys today because the funeral is on Saturday! Whoa. What a day Wednesday was! We had a zone meeting in Orange Park, it was really good , really spiritual. We went and got some subway than tracted for hours and hours. Sometimes it gets a little tough to keep on going but yesterday was really easy. It was a pretty cool day. Later that night we have been working with this guy named John Vinson and we finally were able to take his cigarettes and really get going. He has a date for this Sunday but wasn’t really progressing as fast as he should be. But he knows that it’s true. I had kinda had it with him lol. I knew that he knew that it was true and I was done playing around with him lol. I asked him which team he wanted to play for God's or the devils? And he said God's. And I said every time you smoke or drink you're on the sidelines and you're not really playing on His team! That worked. Everyone down here is all crazy about College Football so that helped using that!! Did some other stuff and we pulled in and I’m looking around and I see another Toyota with a bike rack on it and I’m thinking who else is here and we get out and it’s the Zone Leaders. They walk in with us and Elder Williams is like Elder we need to talk and I’m thinking uh oh did I do something wrong. Couldn’t really think of anything and he cuts right to the chase and says that he’s received a phone call from President Newman and that something bad happened back at home. He starts telling me and I stick my hand out like no I don’t even wanna hear it. I knew it was something really bad because this is what happens when someone dies on the mission. He just hurries and gets it out and says that your Grandpa Black has passed away!!! Ugh I’m just sitting there trying to process what I just heard and he gives me a few of the details and it’s all starting to register in my head. Well, it does and I’m just sitting there and the first thing that pops into my head is "He made it, He did it !!" And I get up and he gives me a hug and the hugs over and then BOOM it just hits me and I just start crying my face off, for like probably like 20 mins. I would stop and we would talk for a second and then just start crying again and tells me that it was right after the setting apart of Spencer. Crazy how God has His hand in all things like this. Elder Trott and Williams gave me a blessing last night and this whole time while he told me and while this was all going on the veil seemed really thin. It was actually kinda cool but I really felt like when they were giving me the blessing that Grandpa and the Savior had their hands on me too. I talked to President after and he said that it was right after everyone had taken pictures and everything. He told me that he had a series of aneurisms and that just one is fatal but he had a series of them. He told me that he and mom both thought that Heavenly Father was making sure that Grandpa was passing through and not gonna have to live with this. I feel the same too.It was a really tough night last night and its been a pretty rough morning so far. I got Rachel’s email and I was a complete mess while reading it. Ugh all the memories just start flooding in. I was thinking about it and it was cool that Grandpa Black was the only one that I talked to besides you guys on Christmas. I’m really glad that I was able to talk to him one last time. It's really hard right now to say anything. I wrote a 4 page journal this morning, I’m just a mess. O man!!! Thinking about all the memories of mowing the lawn the past few years. It would be really hot and he would still come out and we would sit and have a coke and just talk about whatever from the jazz, preparing for my mission, school, anything and everything. I NEVER was excited to leave. And the countless hours of playing Rummikub. I finally was able to beat him a few times, he would always say that I cheated or that he wasn’t even trying and didn’t want me to cry so he let me win lol!! He would always come to our games and support us in what we were doing. I thought I was his favorite grandkid until Rachel or someone said that they thought the same thing too. I'm sure Travis thought the same thing and he’s only been around for a few years lol!! Just shows how much everyone loved him and how he loved everyone! I was able to go to the Mt. Timpanogas Temple with Grandma and Grandpa right before I left and the 3 of us took a picture in front and that picture has been in front of all my pictures since the day that Grandma sent it to me in the mail. Such an amazing person. He treated Grandma Black perfect and showed us young guys how we’re supposed to be when we get married. The Sunday drives were always good we would be in the middle of no where and he would see like a bird or a cow or like an empty house and he would start singing a song about birds, cows, or empty houses and they would always rhyme so perfectly! To this day I don’t know if he was just making them up or if they were actual songs!!! All the trips to Vegas were amazing, We were able to go to the nicest hotels and swim and just lose ourselves in the buffets. He would always make things so entertaining, when at first they didn’t appear to be. I love him, I was his buddy and he is the ultimate hero and role model, someone I strive to be like every day. Showed us all what enduring to the very end looks like!! I can’t think of enough to say, he changed my life and even my mission from the encouraging advice he gave me only weeks ago and now passing away. I know that he isn't doing much resting on the other side but is helping the work move forward, I know he is gonna be helping me down here in the south and softening the hearts of the people. He's in a much better place right now and doesn’t have to worry about the cares of the world!!! So what's Grandma gonna do? Is she gonna be living by herself or what? If I was there I would giver her a huge hug right now!! Grandma, I love you so much everything is gonna be okay!! I feel horrible I was supposed to write a thank you card for a few weeks and now I’m kicking myself that I didn’t do it. I'm sure he knows how grateful I was for that but it’s tough knowing that I didn’t send it off sooner!! I don’t even know how to end this email its really tough you just don’t know what you got til it’s gone. This is going to positively change my mission. Up until this point I’ve taken it very seriously as far as wanting to do good and I’ve been blessed to see things happen. But I just wanna be a better missionary, a better person now. He did so much for so many people. There’s even more incentive now to make it to the Celestial Kingdom because we know that’s where Grandpa is gonna be!!! ahh this is tough I really don’t know how to end this, but I love you. All stay strong. Hopefully this will bring the whole family together again! But I’ll hear from you all soon and know that I’m okay but its gonna be tough the next few days. But its gonna be good!! Love, Elder Robby Jackson

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Family Fun on New Year's Day!
















My New Year's Resolution this year is not to make any resolutions! Then I will have a successful year! :)










Goodbye to 2009 Christmas Holiday Fun!












Dave, Susan, Bruce's Dad and I drove up to the cabin as far as we could and then snowshoed in the rest of the way! We had a lot of fun snowshoeing! Bruce's Dad only snowshoed to the cabin and back out! I think that was it for him. It was a very beautiful, warm, nice day!













Travis and Rachel with all their gifts!










Our Nutcracker Christmas Tree





The night before Scott flew back home for Christmas break, as many as could, met at our house for pizza. We had a alot of fun visiting with everyone! Left to right: Danny (Susan's youngest), Bill and Susan (Bruce's sister and her husband), Dave and Matt (James' oldest). Standing: Lisa (Dave's wife), Brittany and Shawn (Dave's youngest daughter and her fiance). Sitting: Scott (James' son), Aubrey and husband Matt (Dave's 3rd daughter), Bruce and Bruce's Dad! We had a very fun Christmas Holiday even though we were missing Robby!