Thank you

I would like to thank everyone for their sweet,sweet thoughts and prayers. Eli and I did make it home to Iowa as well as my brother before my granddad passed. If you have ever witnessed someone pass then you know it is the most amazing thing to ever witness. I don't normally do recaps but I do need to put my thoughts down on what this past week was like....

Eli and I decided that we would take the red eye Monday night and arrive into Des Moines at 8am. My brother had already booked a flight from Seattle into Des Moines and he was set to arrive by 9am. My dad picks me and E up and takes us straight to the health center where my granddad was living. We arrive and my grandmother, i call her mommal (cross between mom and grandma) was there as was my mom, my uncle mike and pastor Millens. My granddad was in a deep state of sleep--he was doped up on morphine to help with the pain. I went over to him and put my hand on his and kissed his forehead. He twitched a little but I am not sure if it was his reaction to me or the morphine. I proceeded to talk to him in hopes he could hear my voice and told him to hang on just a bit longer for Bryan to get there. His breathes were getting longer a part so we knew it was only a matter of time.

Bryan arrived at 930am. We gave him some private time with granddad and then by 945am we were surrounding his bed holding hands. The Pastor said a prayer for my granddad to go on home and that we were ready for him to go. We all said the Lord's prayer together. I think this is the first time in my life I felt proud that I knew the Lord's Prayer--which is something that I learned from my granddad and mommal. As his breathes were getting longer, the tears were falling, I cried out, I love you Granddad as we all thought this was it...what felt like an eternity of no breathing, he came back with a heavy and deep breathe--this put everyone into a fit of laughter amongst the tears.It was tension breaker. However,after that last deep breathe, it was over. 10am on 12/4 my beloved granddad went home to his maker. This was exactly a week before his 79th birthday.

I left the room shortley there after and took a walk with my husband. I felt complete peace. It was the strangest feeling. Tuesday night, the family gathered at my mommal's. We had an abundance of food--special thanks to my uncle's friends who certainly made sure the grandkids were well fed. The grandkids pick out pictures for the slideshow and the adults tended to the funeral planning. It was so great to look at all these pictures of my granddad--even though I had seen so many of them before. This time around I could actually see my granddad's spirit in these pictures. Jump to Thursday and that is when the sadness started to creep in.

Thursday night was the visitation. Des Moines got hit with a bad snow storm. Despite the snow storm we had an estimated 140 people come to the visitation. It was wonderful to see so many people who came out to pay their respects and share wonderful, heart warming stories about my granddad. I always knew this man was special but hearing these stories really reinforced it. Friday was the funeral. My mommal decided to do an untraditional funeral service. The service was truly a celebration of my granddad's life. My dad did the eulogy. Eli and Bryan did a reading. We had someone playing the alto sax in a jazzy version of amazing grace. I want to find this version and add it my mp3 player. It brought tears to my eyes when I heard this. During the recessional, the family walked out to the song "When the saints go marching in" This song conjuers up a warm memory of my granddad banging on the piano playing this song and singing his heart out.

We went to the cemetery and had a quick grave side service. My granddad was in the military so we had a military person playing taps on the bugle. Oh wow is that the saddest thing I have ever heard. Once the graveside service was completed, I walked past the casket, I put my hand on it and whispered "I love you". Ever since yesterday I have had an empty feeling in my heart. This new feeling of a hole that now resides in my heart. I asked Eli about this and if he experienced the same thing last year when his grandpa died. He said yes, he felt the same way. Over time the feeling will subside but you will never be able replace that hole in your heart for that person.

I am so thankful I made it there on Tuesday. I can't believe I have been gone for a week and missed a whole week of work but after what I experienced with my family. I don't even care that I will most likely have to have last week go unpaid.


FRANCIS W. (JIM) MORRIS

Urbandale

Jim Morris, 78, formerly from West Des Moines died peacefully, surrounded by family, Tuesday, December 4, 2007 at the Deerfield Life Care Retirement Community on Hickman Road in Urbandale, Iowa.

Jim was born December 11, 1928 in McWhorter, West Virginia. On June 27, 1946 he was united in marriage to Phyllis Badgett of Fairmont, West Virginia.

He graduated from Fairmont High School in 1946 and went on to Fairmont State University where he graduated cum laude with a BS in Business Administration. He served two years in the Army at Fort Benning, Georgia from 1950 through 1952. He worked for General Mills for 36 years which took him from Parkersburg, WV, Columbus, OH, Cincinnati, OH, Chicago, IL and then to Des Moines, IA, in 1967 as a district sales manager. Retiring from General Mills in 1988, he then volunteered at the Polk County courthouse as a small claims mediator. He enjoyed worshiping his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by serving on many church boards, singing, directing music, spreading the good news, leading bible study and greeting visitors on Sunday mornings. His favorite bible passages come from Psalms 121 and John 14 with special love of John 14:2, "In my father's house are many rooms; if it were not so would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?" In his leisure time Jim would garden, and he enjoyed watching football and baseball, especially when it came to the Chicago Cubs, da-Bears, and the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Jim is survived by his wife, Phyllis; son, Larry (Diane) Morris of Atlanta, Georgia, son, Mike (Jan) Morris of West Des Moines, Iowa; granddaughter, Heather (Eli) Robbins of San Francisco, California; grandson, Bryan (Amy) Morris of Snoqualmie, Washington; granddaughter, Alexandria Morris of Iowa City, Iowa; granddaughter, Samantha Morris of West Des Moines; sister, Alice Lee (Jim) Rogers of Clarksburg, West Virginia; brother, Buddy (Mary Louise) Morris of Tyrone, Georgia; sister, Jane (Wendell) Beveridge of Niles, Ohio, as well as four nephews and six nieces.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Waitman Wayne and Mable Morris of Fairmont, West Virginia.

Visitation will be Thursday, December 6, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 3900 Ashworth Road, West Des Moines, IA.

Funeral services will be at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church on Friday, December 7, at 10:30 a.m.

The family requests no flowers. Memorial contributions can be made to Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 3900 Ashworth Road, West Des Moines, IA 50265 or the Alzheimer's Association, 1730 28th Street, West Des Moines, IA 50266, http: //www.alz.org/greateriowa/in_my_community_donate.asp