Tough Goodbyes

Alisha says: It is hard to know exactly what to say or be prepared for the emotions that come with saying goodbye to someone when you know it is the last time you will get to see them. On our drive to Mesa we stopped in the tiny town of Central, Utah to visit my mom's parents, my Grandpa and Grandma Christensen. Around the end of April my grandpa was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and basically given six weeks to live. I am so glad that we had the opportunity to spend a few hours with them.

At first it was hard getting the sad stuff out of the way but then it was a really great visit. He looked thin and walked with a cane but other than that he looked good and his smile was still the same. We ate a yummy lunch together that my grandma had prepared while visiting and having my grandpa tell us a few stories from his life. Some fun ones were of him doing a little boxing in his younger days and another when him and his buddies hitch hiked all the way to Salt Lake City for the days of '47 Pioneer Celebration at Salt Air and then how they couldn't get anyone to pick them up on the way back until they came up with a little act to do on the side of the road. They soon had not only a ride but the guy was towing a car that he was taking to Provo and decided that he would just let them deliver the car for him. That would never happen now days! The next ride they got the guy ended up liking them so much that he went out of his way to take them all the way home and even bought them dinner on the way.

We talked about how my grandpa taught me to toast bread, butter it, and then sprinkle sugar on it. I thought this was awesome when I was a kid and only had it when we got to stay at grandma and grandpas house.

My grandpa is a farmer and has about 500 acres of pasture land that he has put a lot of hard work into. He spent hours and hours, clearing trees, spraying thistle and tending the cows out on the pasture. The pasture was a family gathering spot at Easter where we would have a fun picnic. Dave has never been to the pasture and when we got talking about the pasture my grandpa's eyes lit up and he wanted to know if Dave wanted to go for a ride out and see it. So we loaded up in the car and went for a drive to see the pasture and the farm where my grandpa grew up continuing to talk and hear stories the whole way.