Climb Every Mountain

Friday night I was able to attend a glorious concert at Temple Square that featured the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra and highlighted a special guest from Broadway, Laura Osnes. It was positively delightful. The choir and orchestra were perfection as always, and Laura sang with the voice of an angel. I enjoyed the environment and emotion of great music to the very depths of my soul. And my soul needed filling.

The Mike Summers Family at the Conference Center

In the past couple of weeks, both Chad and I have lost our beautiful, wonderful maternal grandmothers; the last living grandparent for each of us. It has to be said that both Vera Pinson (Chad's grandmother) and Sarah Keil (my grandmother) lived long, happy, productive, service filled, saturated with love existences. The legacy each of these women left behind is incredible, and the heritage of each of our families is rich in goodness, charity, integrity, and wisdom. The most incredible part of all this is that this didn't end within the confines of each family name. It continued through the joining, sharing, and growth of both families-through both sides and also intertwined with each other. This love and this legacy has continued to grow, and has the power to grow exponentially, as is God's plan. The love didn't end when these grandmothers died, but it will surely grow as their generations move forward and keep sharing that love.

My grandmother, Sarah with her husband Robert-
they are with each other once again!

Chad's grandmother, Vera

So while our families buried these precious women this week, and the goodbyes were not easy to say, we feel the never-ending and ever growing legacy of love that they left behind here, and are continuing in Heaven. We, their posterity have the honor of sharing and giving this love beyond the borders of last name or generation, as we intertwine families with many connections together as one. And it is our belief that we may all be together as one family in Heaven-each of us in our families made into one of God's big, eternal families. How cool.

My cute little family headed down to Salt Lake for the big night

And cooler still that in the middle of all this, the REASON I got to attend this concert was my wonderful family celebrating my parents' 50th Wedding Anniversary. That is a big, happy, inspiring deal!! Their union was the beginning of  generations of families that have included the Claytons,Winwards, Wilcoxs, Nivisons, Saunders and now Rippons. The love extends and continues to add and bring families even closer into one.

Our ever growing family celebrating at Bellas

As I sat and listened to the music of the night,  I pondered the lives of our grandmothers and how blessed I have been by them. Sarah and Vera's lives touched so far beyond what even we as their family can see. Laura and the choir sang Climb Every Mountain from the Sound of Music towards the end of the program and it really struck me that these women did just that. They climbed and they are now at the top of their highest mountains, ready  to step foot into the next big adventure beyond this life.  And I am grateful.