Mower's

This photo was the last time I visited my Grandma Black. Just about a month before she passed away. She had made ginger bread cookies, and little sacks of candy for the great-grand children. Here she is holding Jence. Jence is named after my Grandma's Father, and Grandfather. This photo really captures how my Grandmother is my link to my ancestral roots, and also my future. Her posterity is tremendous, and as the new generation of great grandchildren grow I hope that they remember her shining example of courage, optimism and faith. I hope that they know that they have the very same pioneering blood flowing through their veins, and that same pioneering spirit which embodied my grandmother. This is their inheritance from her. She didn't leave wealth, or fame. What she left was far more valuable, and ten times more precious. Her legacy was one of faith. Faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ, a heart that was pure and full of joy, a will that was strong and trusted in the Lord and an unfailingly positive attitude that was unconquerable.

I love this photo. It was taken on Christmas eve of 2006. It is the only four generational photo that I have. It shows my Grandma Black, my dad Kirk Black, myself and my two oldest children Kirk and Kate. I just wish Benjamin and Jence could have been in the photo too. This was taken shortly after my Grandmother underwent hip surgery. She was a tough cookie, and recovered amazingly fast. I'd like to think of my Grandma as a Rolex watch. "She takes a lick'n but keeps on tick'n".

This photo was taken at Christmas time in 2007. As you can see just one year after her hip surgery she was looking really well. I think that this was one of the last Christmas eve's we spent at my Grandma's house. Christmas eve's at Grandma's is one of my most poignant memories of childhood. Grandma made these wonderful stocking's for all of us grandchildren. The anticipation of receiving our stockings on Christmas eve each year was the highlight of the holiday. We would start the evening with a delicious dinner, and after visiting for what seemed like an eternity, my Mother, Grandmother, and Aunt would leave the large family room, too go "play Santa and fill the stockings". Each year we would look forward to a little white box filled chocolate treats, and dried fruit. All of it was homemade by my Grandma. I can't imagine how much work she went to, to make so many chocolates for all of the grandchildren. That is what made it so special. We each had our very own box, we didn't have to share. It was that kind of individual attention Grandma always gave. I can imagine her making each little box of candy with so much love. In this photo I am about two years old on Christmas eve it's 1984. You can see Grandma is holding my Christmas stocking.