Grandpa EE and Grandma Gretchen - Lisa Lifferth Brown

 
 
There is something about learning the stories of our ancestors that prepares us to face the challenges of the future. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said:
 
“With the complex issues facing our families and our friends, our citizens, our state, our neighbors, our nation, the world, may we remember pioneers of an earlier day who persevered against injustice, misunderstanding, some intolerance, occasional bigotry, occasional racism, against the differences of custom and traditions and faith, who labored against all of that to carve out for us, their descendants, the wonderful day and the marvelous miraculous time in which we live. We owe the same pioneering, persevering legacy to our children and our children’s children.”
Original home at 1519 Roberta Street
We know the journey of Grandpa E.E. and Grandma Gretchen was a challenging one. I think of them often and what it must have been like to leave their family, friends, and their country for something bigger—to join the Gospel and be with the Saints in Utah. They took the journey for their posterity. I often ask myself if I would have the same courage to leave everything behind like they did. I hope I would. I know life in America was not easy. We see the pictures of what they left behind to the place that would become their home on Roberta Street. Describing the picture above with Charlotte, Henry, and Arthur standing in front of the wooden structure, Grandma writes:
Paint pots, tools, building dirt everywhere.
Disorder staring in my face with tremendous glare.
The walls too, skilled work of a plastered need,
Woodwork is not to be found
In this living room all the way around.
Yet, in spite of their challenges, we know they found peace and hope in their journey. I often ask myself if I would find the same type of hope and peace. I hope I would. Grandma Gretchen showed us how to find hope and peace as she so beautifully wrote about in her poetry:
Gods Cathedral
 
Weary, disillusioned and forlorn,
With my fondest hopes shattered and torn,
I entered a forest of pines one day,
They soothed my soul and bid me stay.
 
My feet tread over needled cushioned ground,
Peace and reverent quietness all around.
With rapture I gaze upon the tall trees
And delighted in the perfumed gentle breeze.
 
Faith restored, my heart filled with song,
Beams of sunshine making me strong,
Courage once more took possession of me
As my soul filled with reverence, dear God, for Thee.
Knowing Grandpa E.E. and Grandma Gretchen’s stories help me as I navigate my own journey. Because of them, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Because of them, I am part of an eternal family. Because of them, I have learned how to find hope and peace amidst life’s trials. I am forever grateful to Grandpa E.E and Grandma Gretchen and the legacy they left for us.