Faithful Husband,Godly Father,Beloved Grandfather

The burial service of my father-in-law was simple. He was buried next to his wife in Tahoma National Cemetery, a veteran's cemetery. His burial was serviced with military honors by the U.S. Navy, and the Patriot Guard.

Seven grandsons were pall-bearers.

These three of the grandsons were/are U.S. Marines ( no such thing as an ex-Marine I am told), one still in active duty. The oldest family Marine is shown in the background, taking a picture, his son is one of the Marines, our oldest son is too.

Another grandson was the pastor officiating at the burial.

The flag is properly folded,

 Taps is played, making me cry.The sound of Taps seems so final.

 The flag is presented to the oldest son of David Bjorn Burnson.

 Seven grandsons then escort the casket of my husband's father to the vehicle that will carry it to his final earthly resting place.

 Patriot Guard motorcycles,

 Patriot Guard mission.( Thank-you Steve & fellow guards.)

A daughter & granddaughter of my husband's father at graveside,

as we watched the grave dug and the casket buried.

Just some of the family standing graveside.

Our oldest son looks back at the final resting place of his grandfather's remains. This son is named after his two grandfathers who served in the U.S. military in war ; one in the Navy, the other in the Army. This son served as a U.S. Marine in 2 tours of duty in Iraq .

David Bjorn Burnson ~ Faithful Husband, Godly Father, Beloved Grandfather. February 12, 1927 ~ January 16, 2013.

My father-in-law's favorite Bible verse was John 3:16. This verse contains the promise, assurance, and hope for eternal life for all who "believeth in Him".

"Before I Kick The Bucket"

"Before I kick the bucket", my husband's mother said as she was handing out dolls to our granddaughters, her great-granddaughters.

"Before I kick the bucket I want to give away my dolls to my great- granddaughters." She has a lot of great-granddaughters , we are the grandparents of only 6 of her great-granddaughters. She has a lot of dolls too, so each great-granddaughter will be given a special doll chosen just for them. Each doll has a name, and Great-Grandma took time to talk to each little girl about the doll. My husband's mother has collected these dolls over many years and had them on display in a special cabinet in the basement. The dolls are very important to her. There have been a few times over the years we have had scares regarding my mother-in-law's health and on one occasion grown children and grandchildren rushed back to Washington from all parts of the U.S. to visit her in the hospital after being told she was "not going to make it" after a stroke. Well, the doctors were wrong, and often I tell my husband his mother is going to outlive us. It seems she has chosen to give her prized and beloved dolls to her great-granddaughters now, while she can choose just the right little girl for each doll. We know she has given the little girls something precious. The great-granddaughters know this too, because she handed the dolls to each of them after beginning with the words "before I kick the bucket". The day after the granddaughters received their dolls they had a doll tea party, hosted by our daughters' daughters. Click here* to view her blog post about it. "Our days are numbered. One of the primary goals in our lives should be to prepare for our last day. The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. What preparations are we making now? The greatest waste in all of our earth , which cannot be recycled or reclaimed is our waste of the time God has given us each day." Billy Graham