This is a tender week for my family as we give thanks and simultaneously remember our Brooke who passed from this life 1 year ago. We mourn but are buoyed up by our faith. I was especially touched tonight by the faith of my sweet mother as I reread the eulogy she gave at Brooke's funeral.
I've pasted it below in hopes it bill buoy your faith as well.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Brooke Elizabeth Jaggi
May 19, 2011- Nov. 21, 2012
Given at Funeral service, Nov. 24, 2012
I am honored to speak about our precious little granddaughter, Brooke Elizabeth Jaggi, born May 19, 2011. I was blessed to be there when she came into world, on her due date, weighing 9lb 10oz. It was pretty miraculous to me as our 5 children were born by c-section.
Since Sarah decided to take extended leave from work, she and her parents moved into our empty basement. From that moment on, life slowed in pace and I felt as though we were in a precious bubble with Brooke, just soaking her in. I think I got a double dose of pleasure as I watched her new parents, so excited and in awe at each new stage. Sarah often swooned over her and described her as having just the “perfect squishiness.” I got to be there for each milestone and loved every minute.
One of my cherished memories will always be when Sarah went back to work a couple days a week and would nurse Brooke early in the morning then place her in my bed where she would snuggle up next to me. I would wake to her tiny hands reaching out to touch my face and her cooing, sweet baby sounds. I fell so deeply in love with this sweet bundle of joy.
Sarah loved Brooke's chubby little body and Brooke loved food. When she was about 6 months old and still had no teeth, she got a taste of an apple and wouldn't let it go. Grasping with both hands, she gnawed with her gums, refusing to let us take it away. She loved all food really, Indian, Thai, Grandma’s Pesto Pizza, Mexican, Korean, including pieces of raw garlic and even kimchi. She would eat food so spicy that her face would turn red, eyes would tear up and nose run and still sign for more. Favorite discovery was noodles, loved noodles and we loved watching as she would smack them up into mouth. Sometimes when we were in the house, she would point out to the garden and sign “eat” and “more” and I knew she wanted to take a walk down to pick fresh strawberries.
Brooke was a healthy baby and only went to the doctor once for sickness. Her Naturopath gave her some herbal concocted cough syrup and she even loved that!
As soon as she could figure out how to drink from a water bottle and sippy cup, her dad taught her to take a drink and then give a contented aahhh. In one of the videos where she is sitting and giving stuffed animals a drink, if you watch you will see her teaching the animals to do aahhh.
Brooke was allowed to explore her world, actually I’m not sure if any of us really could have prevented it even if we had tried. She loved icy cold water and loved to play in the pond-less waterfall in our backyard, our Brooke in the Brook. She was well named.
When she was 6 and 7 months old she picked up nodding and shaking her head and seemed to know by the inflection of our voices that there was a question and would nod or shake her head, keeping us in stitches as to how she responded. December last year when Sarah and Darren were visiting with the Bishop and giving an accounting of their tithes for the year, the Bishop paused and asked if this accounting made them “full tith payers.” They both nodded yes and then Brooke very vehemently shook her head NO. When Bishop asked her directly “they’re not,” she again shook her head again NO.
Darren has been a great dad. I commented to him once that he’s such a good dad. and he kind of looked a little puzzled and said that he didn't do anything special with her. But he did do something very special. He played with her at her level, laying on the floor and just letting her play around him, climbing on him and learning all the funny things he taught her. Much of her funny personality and spunk comes from what she has learned from him.
They took time to enjoy being parents and thus experienced the joy of parenthood to the fullest. Her parents didn't get caught up in the rush and hustle of life. Some of our favorite pictures of her, including the one on the program were taken after a trip to the grocery store. Groceries needed to be carried in, dinner prepared and it was lightly raining, yet Sarah stopped to let Brooke play in the puddle, catch raindrops in her mouth and wave fall leaves in the air.
She lived her life fully and with joy, known for her short 20 minute naps, as if trying to make the most of every moment.
Sarah took her to the library for Young Toddler Story time. There were about 30 moms and toddlers there. Sarah describes how the other toddlers all were sitting quietly in their mother’s laps listening to the librarian read books to them. Brooke saw it as an opportunity to explore and insisted on roaming the room, checking out the mom’s purses and kid’s snacks. That didn't work out so well, so they went to the parks where Brooks could continue to explore as she loved best. She did, however love to be read to when it was just Brooke and one of us alone.
A couple guys at church were talking with Darren one day when he mentioned that Sarah used to work at Puget Sound Energy. One of them asked why she would leave, that it was such a great place to work, to which the other co-worker responded “Have you seen their daughter?”
One of my favorite things was to make a run to Costco with her and beam with pride at all the comments about her big blue eyes, she was in my eyes, perfect in every way. The older people especially wanted to know which shelf I got her off of or which blueberry patch she came from.
I have long had a strong testimony of God’s love for each of us His children which has helped through this difficult time.
But I have learned much more as I look back on the last year and a half. I believe that God knew we would be in this place, at this time as I reflect on all the tender mercies that he gave us in these 18 months. Having Brooke in our home and being able to have so much time with her. Darren’s new job where they moved just a couple months ago, providing them medical insurance. Darren was unemployed a few months before and we thought that was a scary and unfortunate thing. Now he says, “how many dads get to spend so much time with their little child?” Even the crochet dress that Brooke is dressed in today was made by her mother for her blessing dress. She was disappointed after she got it done, that it was so big, that it didn't turn out the right sizing according to the pattern. It fits her now.
And so because I see some of the experiences in our last 18 months that we thought were trials, were really tender mercies in disguise, then I can trust that this hard thing will in the eternities be a tender mercy and we will see that it indeed comes from a Father in Heaven who loves us and has a plan for our lives.
Losing Brooke was not a choice for us, yet even in this there’s a blessing to the 3 little children received her organs early Thanksgiving morning. We pray they too will now be able to laugh hard, to roll down grassy hills, and to play in the ocean. We have no regrets about not spending enough time with Brooke. Sarah and Darren took advantage of those opportunities and thankfully now have great memories. We feel so blessed to have had Brooke in our lives. May we each learn from their examples to treasure each precious moment with the special people in our lives. I also know that the opportunity to be sealed together as families for the eternities has been restored to the earth in these latter-days and that we will be together as a family again when we have finished our work on the earth. I bear my witness that I know this to be true. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
