805. Thoughts about the Spirit World, and about Wayne, and the fun we had having "Game Nights"!

More about Wayne.  This was post #606 last March 16th.  I will just mention something that happened last night.  I accompany often, and one young man I accompanied a couple of weeks ago said "Pal!  When can we have a game night again?"  When Wayne was alive, we had many game nights with family, but also now and then we would invite young college age people to come and play games.  He had really enjoyed coming here when Wayne was with us.  

Sorry this is blurry.  The writing says:  "After Wayne's hip replacement operation in November 2012, his heart had problems.  This game was in the ICU"

 I took this picture above with my phone from our "Rook Book", which is a book Anita made, in which we record our game scores!  A picture of when Wayne was in the ICU and we played a game of 6 handed Rook!
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So last night I had my grandson and his wife, and 2 other young amazing tenors, one with his wife.  We had a musical evening!  It was so fun to have them sing their hearts out, and then play 6 handed Rook!  I wish I had taken a picture!  Later 2 other young people, musicians also, came, as 2 had to leave.  Needless to say, we talked about how fun it had been to play table games with Wayne!  He always would say "I feel LUCKY today!"  We even played 6 handed Rook one time in the ICU when he was there.  The nurses gave us permission, and we have a picture of that!  (We did have to close the door and try to be quiet!)  Our grandson, Ben, who came asked to have Grandpa Wayne's potato masher!  Wayne had always mashed the potatoes at family dinners, and he always included lots of butter!

Another blurry picture, from the "Rook Book".  I don't know how to make a good photo with my camera close up.  I'll try to learn!

For any of you who have lost loved ones, a spouse, a sibling, or a child, this quoted below is most comforting information. 

 Wayne's funeral was 2 weeks and 2 days ago.  For the first few days, several of my children, and friends, would call to see how I am.  I know they still care, but their lives are busy, and they have gone back to life as it was before mostly.  And in this life I will never be able to go back to life as it was.  As I told one of our daughters, in any couple, one of you has to pass away first.  So true!  How many billions of people have gone through this very experience!  And yet when it is yourself, it becomes so personal.  Even though it seems strange to say it, I am grateful he was the first to go. (for his sake!)

This was the program when Wayne and Blaine went on their first mission to Sweden, arriving in Sweden in December, 1950.  Blaine went on his eternal mission in 1999, and now Wayne has joined him.  

I have written many thank you's, for many kindnesses, cards, money, flowers, etc. given to me.  I have basically cleaned up the house, and it is organized again -- sort of!  The food that others brought is gone, and I am going back to cooking.  But even that is different.  When Wayne was eating with me, for the last several years, and especially the last 2 years, I had to try and cook without salt, etc., and now I can put on all the salt I wish!  A couple of years ago when I had gastritis, I was quite ill, and a blood test showed I had a severe lack of sodium (salt)!  So here I was, cooking without salt for Wayne, and then putting a lot on my own food.  

This is Wayne and Blaine when they were about 10 years old.  Today I will post pictures mostly before we met and were married.  More later ---

I have put special pictures of Wayne up in our living room, and I plan to put them all over the house.  I have written about his last years, and health problems, because I want to remember what he was going through, and how blessed it is for him to finally be free of his ailments.  I plan to write about all I can remember of things we did together.  Over time, I'm afraid I will forget. 

 I won't write any more personal things today -- but this scripture and quote is just what I needed when I woke up this morning!  I can be happy for him, and thus happy myself.  I do have plans --  I will go back in April to the local Family Search Library, and take their 3 week training, (2 days each week) and then do at least 2 shifts of 4 hours each, there at the Library.  I have many friends there, and I've been on 2 missions there.  But today I will post several pictures of Wayne.  And then I'll get busy, and write about him!

This picture above was printed in The Improvement Era, the forerunner to The Ensign magazine we have today.  I was so impressed when I read this, because all my teen age years I prayed for someone who would never leave the Church.

March 16, 2016 Spirit World

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY Alma 40:12 "And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow."

QUOTE OF THE DAY Brigham Young "When we pass into the spirit world we shall possess a measure of his power. Here, we are continually troubled with ills and ailments of various kinds. In the spirit world we are free from all this and enjoy life, glory, and intelligence; and we have the Father to speak to us, Jesus to speak to us, and angels to speak to us, and we shall enjoy the society of the just and the pure who are in the spirit world until the resurrection" (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, p. 282). Isn't that comforting!   Wayne's wonderful parents, Gladys and Roy Eckman.  Just GOOD PEOPLE!  And I'm certain they were thrilled to have their son Wayne back with them. Blaine on left, and Wayne on right, as seniors in the Granite High yearbook. Wayne and his companion, and a couple he baptized in the lake behind them.  In this experience the lady stepped off a sort of cliff under the water, and Wayne had to pull her to safety by her foot!  She was well baptized! Wayne and a companion in Sweden in early 1950's.  They had to wear hats, and he disliked it so much he threw his hat overboard on the ship back home!  I wish he had kept it, just for fun. They were assigned to be in different cities in Sweden.  But the Mission President allowed them one day to tract together in Blaine's area.  On that day they met a lady who was a bit drunk.  The next day she saw Blaine, and asked him, " I have just one thing to ask -- yesterday was there one of you or two of you?!"  That day they did meet a family, who later on were baptized. This was taken while in the army, when they were out of their army uniforms and dressed for Church that day.  Wayne left, Blaine right.  I was writing to Wayne at this time.  We had met on a blind date after his mission, just before he went in the army, in 1953. This last picture for today was taken years later, after they both became elementary school teachers, and Blaine's family from Henderson, Nevada, were up visiting us in Sandy, Utah, where we lived from 1962 until 1981.