Love you, Grandpa!

This morning I woke up to a call from my dad saying that my grandpa had passed away. I was sad of course, but thanks to the Plan of Salvation (http://www.lds.org/) I was immediately at peace. I love my grandpa and know that he is at ease and no longer suffering from physical infirmities. (Below are some pictures along with the pic of him on my dad's bday blog- Emily thanks for letting me take some off of your blog since I don't have all my pics here in Utah :)

There are so many incredible things that my grandpa did while on this Earth, but one that I am particularly amazed by is the program he started years and years ago to get people off of drugs and alcohol. He has had a hand in helping thousands of people change their lives for the better and grow closer to God...which is ultimately what our purpose is here in this life. What an example to me. I remember one specific occasion a few years ago where this guy asked me out and before we went to our date we stopped by a meeting he volunteered at. The meeting was similar to an AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) meeting in the sense that each person sitting in the circle introduced themselves and spoke about how their week went in regards to the addiction they were trying to overcome. After a short while I put the pieces together and realized I was sitting in one of my grandpa's meetings! I decided to speak up and ask if anyone knew m grandpa, Reg Lewis. Sure enough, the second I said his name the room went silent. Everyone there knew him, loved him and felt largely indebted to him. One person said to me, with a look of awe on her face, "Reg Lewis is your grandpa? I love him so much and he has changed my life". Each person said something similar to that and I was so humbled and grateful to be his granddaughter. The following week, my brother Josh and I wrote him a card telling him of our experience and our gratitude to him and brought it to his work. He of course was overwhelmed with love for us and got a little teary-eyed as he sometimes did.

Another experience that stands out to me is when I was in 4th grade I became ill at school one day and since both of my parents were unable to come pick me up, grandpa eagerly volunteered and came all the way across Mesa to come get me. We went to his house and I fell asleep in one of the bedrooms. I remember waking up to him standing over me with a serving tray that had chicken noodle soup, crackers and Sprite. I could tell he was so excited to serve me and take care of me that day. We hung out the rest of the day just grandpa and I. That is a memory I will never forget.

I know that my grandpa is with our Heavenly Father right now. I also know that through the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, families can truly be together forever, throughout the eternities. What an amazing knowledge that is!