Grandma Shand's Funeral

Saturday, February 4th - we met at the Larken funeral home and celebrated the life of my grandma - Naima Gwen Shand.

Grandma was an amazing lady.

I have this obsessive need to analyze everything.
I want to know all of the answers... and I want to know them now. I have the tendency to believe that fun only comes when all of the answers are found.

Grandma always taught me that life can be enjoyed today... regardless of the lack of answers my life may provide. I may not have all of the today and I probably will not have all of the answers tomorrow, or even the day after that. But regardless of the lack-of-answers, I can learn to enjoy today and have fun.

On the day I turned sixteen years old, I was not too excited. I was terrified. I did not want to date, meet boys, or even think about kissing. I was so incredibly scared.

We celebrated my birthday with lunch at the Mayan restaurant. The Mayan has a very South America atmosphere with a rain tropic theme, diving shows, and a waterfall in the middle of the restaurant. As we walked into the restaurant, grandma proceeded to tell me that she had decided to start dating again. She said that after being married for so long, grandpa said she could start dating again. After lunch, grandma kissed every male waiter and half-naked diver. I was so incredibly shocked, embarrassed, and proud.

Grandma always had this amazing talent to help calm my nerves. Stories of cakes being tossed out of windows, bathtubs full of candy, and CD players sitting under organs at church. I am so grateful for the way she calmed my nerves.

Spencer W. Kimball once said that "God does hear and answer our prayers... but it is usually through the life of another that He hears and answers them."

A lot of my prayers were answered by my grandma.. and I am so grateful for her.



Grandma was a beautiful lady who loved the piano. Her enthusiasm for music inspired me to pursue the piano... I loved listening to her play. I will never forget playing the piano with her one afternoon. I was playing the Dream Web by Lorie Line, and as I was playing a very hard section of the piece was coming close. Grandma looked at me and said "hold on, here comes the hard part." I mastered the piece, and I will never forget how proud of me grandma was when I conquered it.

Grandma always had a way of helping me through the hard parts and then smiling with complete joy when I made it through triumphant.

At the funeral, a story was told about my uncle Dean (grandma's brother) and his role as the holder, carrier, and transporter of Grandma when she was a baby. At the end of his talk, he mentioned that his shoulders were always available for Gwen to ride on. As I watched Dean carry the urn containing grandma's ashes... I could not hold back the tears.


Grandma wanted a bag pipe player at her funeral. The music was lovely.




After the grave was dedicated, we were each given a white balloon to release into the sky. Grandma always had a way of making things fun for us... and comforting us when we most needed it.








The last conversation I had with my grandma was the Monday before she died. I was lucky enough to spend an entire day with her... I love that woman. She talked a lot about her favorite television shows, piano, and the importance of finding Jesus.

She said that it is important to seek for Jesus and then wait for Him to come. We can not force him to come to us... rather we have to be patient.


Thank you grandma for being an incredibly wonderful and supportive friend.
I love you.