Today I am thankful for grandparents.

I was reading No Unhallowed Hand by Gerald Lund today, and in it the patriarch of the family marries to young couples, and offered them some of his wisdom to each of these beloved younger family members before the big moment.

It made me think of my own grandparents, and how much I love and cherish them. I love memories of sleepovers complete with a "show" meticulously rehearsed and performed by the granddaughters - and grandma's obliging video taping. Listening with my cousins to "scary" stories from my grandma's childhood complete with mountain lions and runaway bulls, and dark nights alone. Grandpa's traditional Saturday morning breakfast of fried eggs, toast, and milk. Curling up on Grandpa's lap during Anne of Greene Gables, when Matthew dies, and continuing to curl up on his lap, much to everyone else's chagrin, when I come home for holidays. Road trips, family reunions, driving the lawn mowers and tractors. Walking to the store with Granddaddy for treats, and then on to the park with Grandma.

That particular scene in the book reminded me most poignantly, however, of the last time I was home, and sitting with Grandpa up in the kitchen after Sunday dinner dessert after everyone else went downstairs, and just talking about life - and his reminders that it's not important when you get married, or who the person is, as long as you love each other and the Lord. His encouragement to have patience, and love each other and learn to compromise, and to understand the reality that marriage is work - but it is so worth it. How I wish I had had a tape recorder, or at least my journal to take notes before all of that wisdom he quietly imparted started slipping from my own memory.

How blessed I am to have these wise, loving people in my life, who teach me by example to love the Lord and keep His commandments, and to love those around me and be kind and generous to all. How I hope that my own children will have those same influences in their lives.