Recently I attended a fireside featuring Elder Holland, and two other general authorities and their wives. The entire fireside was noteworthy and poignant to the things going on in my life, and I may post some of my notes here, maybe all of them if I feel appropriate, but this post is about something he said at the end. “Talk with your spouse. Talk to them about your future, miracles, and angels.” I was particularly impressed by his mention of angels. After speaking with my brother Nick today, I don’t think we really realize the reality of angels in our day and age, and sometimes dismiss people who declare the hand of angels in their lives as “different,” “odd,” or maybe even a bit mentally unstable. I think that they are more real than we realize, and if we were to have our eyes open like Elijah of old, we would see the Angels around us, protecting us and helping us, particularly in the more trying times of our lives. If you haven’t seen the movie, “Cokeville Miracle,” then take the time to watch it. If it doesn’t leave you in tears, you may need to go to the doctor to make sure your heart is still intact. It is definitely a Sabbath worthy movie. So an angel I have felt around me in particular is Grandma Ila. I mean, I don’t have a “sure” knowledge that it was her helping me or comforting me in those moments, but I have felt her spirit. I don’t know how to describe it, except for when you’re around certain people in life, you feel or act different because of the person they are. I have felt the same spirit that Grandma Ila had when she was amongst us here. It was in moments when I needed family. Moments when I felt alone or needing that extra added measurement of love that Grandma Ila was so capable of. She has brought me an added measurement of patience towards my kids, because she housed that. She has helped my anxious or angry heart calm down to be able to handle a stressful situation in a calmer way. I know she wasn’t perfect, but I do know she left this life with those qualities. Part of me wishes I had known more of her imperfections so I could see how to overcome mine. Below is an excerpt I left on familysearch.org under memories of Grandma. I challenge anyone who reads this blog to leave a memory of their grandparents on familysearch. Grandma’s recipes I was going to compile a cookbook with some of Grandma’s favorite recipes, but Charlotte Cook’s cookbook already contains a great deal of those, so I will post the ones that Nan sent me here. From my memory I taste her raspberries. In fact, every time I bite into a perfectly ripe raspberry, I think of my sweet, angelic grandmother. I am not overstating how I viewed her. I know often we idealize the dead, but as a grandmother she was always angelic and continues to be so beyond the grave. I have felt her gentle presence in my home when I feel alone, or overwhelmed by the burdens of motherhood. Her patient example buoys me up and strengthens me. My favorite recipes of hers, were her broccoli and raisin salad, her homemade rolls, her shrimp cocktail, and her perfectly cooked popcorn. I will post her recipes from Nan in the documents section.