A Ten-Year Celebration

I have been in tears way too many times this month, looking at all of the people who released balloons and wrote wonderful remembrances of Georgia.  Thank you so so much for helping our family feel close to Georgia.  I hope it was as healing to all of you as it was to us.  We had such a special day on the 10th anniversary and I don't want to take any excitement out of what Haleigh Vance is creating with all of the footage of the balloon releases, but I wanted to post a couple of pictures of the Salt Lake City gathering.  The light and spirit of the weekend has stayed with me and really changed me.  I returned home to Milwaukee feeling UP and Joyful and more than anything, Grateful.  Because of Georgia's wonderful way of living we were able to rejoice and celebrate this event instead of mourn, although there were tears aplenty.  Wish you could have all been there, but we felt your support in a very real way.  Thank you.

My beautiful mother with flowers from old friends, the Debry's.

My cute dad who excitedly went to buy 20 balloons - all in the wrong colors!  We gave him a hard time about it and got a really good laugh out of it and true to his character, he took it like a man.  He took care of so many details that day including cleaning up the grave.  We couldn't have done it without him.

My parents shared journal entries and Georgia's testimony of the Book of Mormon.

A picture with all of the sisters, even Georgia.

Adam, our brother, rounding up kids and balloons.  It ended up being a gorgeous night.

Elder Neal Anderson and his wife came to honor Georgia (they are friends of my parents and came to know them well while serving in Brazil when Georgia pass away).  Elder Anderson shared some wonderful and comforting words, recounting the story of Lazarus and telling us that his story is for all of us and that the resurrection is real and true and it feels good to us because it is true, not just because that's what we want to hear.  It was a humble but sure testimony and I loved it.  

Dear and wonderful music friends with their children - a few of whom share a common name.  One of their daughters ("Sister Shearer" who served as a missionary in Nauvoo with Georgia - in the lighter pink shirt) made sure everyone at the grave knew that her name was Georgia.  One of the two little girls in front (Brittany Gardner's daughter) has the middle name Georgia, and that's George in the arms of his father, Joe Marshall.  With my own daughter Georgia, my nephew George, all of these children, and others I haven't mentioned, our dear Georgia Marriott will be remembered for generations.  

Memorial Concert at IU

Around the first anniversary of Georgia's passing a group of friends and musicians at Indiana University put together a memorial concert in honor of Georgia.  It was beautifully performed and such a fitting way to honor one of their own, one of their music school "family members."  A whole chamber orchestra performed as well as some solos, quartets, and duos.  I will try to figure out the music links so all can hear the concert here on the blog, but for now, here are some snap shots of the concert.  Thank you all for a wonderful memory!

Nancy and Jerry - Georgia's aunt and uncle - flew out from Utah to hear the concert.

I swallowed my pride (don't mind my crazy eyes...) to include this photo because these other lovely ladies played so beautifully.  

Gregory and Jimmy

Friends at a reception afterwards at the Institute of Religion across the street from the music school.

The Festival of Trees

Every year in Utah The Festival of Trees opens in December.  It's a charitable organization that auctions off donated, decorated Christmas trees.  Every year the trees become more and more amazing and you can see every theme under the sun.  The Christmas of 2002 our cousin, Karen Sonkens and her mother (my dad's sister) Nancy went to town creating a tree in honor of Georgia.  It was absolutely gorgeous with violins, angels, gold music notes, twinkly ornaments and ribbon.  On a table next to the tree they placed a Book of Mormon with Georgia's testimony in it.  Since my parents were still in Brazil serving a mission for our church, my husband and I went together and relayed over the phone how beautiful it was, knowing someone would buy it and they would never see it.  Once the auctions were over and the trees taken home we got a phone call.  The father of Adam's mission companion in Korea had bought Georgia's tree and was bringing it to my parents' house in Salt Lake City.  Every year the Ashton family sets aside a large sum of money to give or donate or use to help someone.  The tree was his generous and tender gift that year to our family, so every year my parents take out "Georgia's Tree" and assemble it in it's place of honor - right by the front door.  Every Christmas a little bit of Georgia mingles with the festivities and quiet moments, thanks to our cousins, the Sonkens, and of course the Ashton family.

A Miracle

On the day of Georgia's funeral in Salt Lake City, we as a family gathered at our home after the funeral and the beautiful meal prepared for us by the Relief Society (the LDS women's organization).  The mood was quiet, pensive, tender and so to walk outside and see a gorgeous double rainbow right there in our backyard felt like a gift from the Lord.  It was like a reminder that He was really in charge and it would be okay.  This picture doesn't do it justice, but we think of it as our own little miracle, our tender mercy.

I thought I'd also include the program from the funeral in Salt Lake City.  It was a meeting unlike any I've ever attended and we were so blessed to hear from so many incredible people that day, including a surprise visit and talk from President Monson.  Hopefully you can read it.  We were missing two brothers who were on missions for our church: Adam who was in Korea and David who was in Portugal at the time.  Their own experiences through it all are remarkable as well (how does a young man take the news over the phone in a foreign country that his sister suddenly passed away?).  Maybe they will share them sometime here on the blog because they were both so strong, it's inspiring.

Good Old Georgia

I just love these pictures of Georgia growing up - in no particular order.

Georgia at Indiana University

Georgia finished three years at Indiana University, one of the largest and best music schools in the country.  Although the music school has well over a thousand students the musicians become a kind of family, tucked within a Big 10 University.  Students from literally all over the world come to study in Bloomington and so Georgia had a very international group of friends, all of them very talented in their own right.  Georgia studied violin with Mauricio Fucs whose studio was particularly close, but she also had a "family" through the LDS Institute which was right across the street from the music school, and well, ahem, if I do say so myself, a sister and brother in-law.  We were roommates during my last year at IU.  Wasn't I lucky?  I will try very hard to remember names here, but forgive me since it's been 10 years since I've seen most of these remarkable people.  I'll just put first names for privacy - my apologies to those whose names I have forgotten.

With Felix in Mr. Fucs' studio.

With Short-term roommate, Adrienne

Alan - also from Mr. Fucs' studio

On a hike 

At a dance with Marty

With Felix and Jimmy, her stand partner

In Austria while studying abroad

At an IU game with friends from church, Bruce and Sally

With roommate, Shanna and her brother

With roommate, Sally.  Shanna and Sally were Georgia's roommates during her senior year at IU and helped the family go through her room, arrange things at the funeral in Indiana, and communicate the news to friends so we didn't have to.  Thank you!

With Mr. Fucs and his wife

With friends from Mr. Fucs' studio

Hanging out with Bruce

After a concert in Gratz, Austria with her violin on her back.

Freshman year with roommate Haleigh in the dorm.

With friends from church (and Youming) at the Institute

Quartet

Church friends - roommates Shanna and Sally

With Michelle at the Institute

With Michelle and their hair for Locks of Love.  I went (as moral support) with Georgia to get her hair cut and when we walked out of the salon she cried and cried.  She really did have beautiful, long hair!

Lots of love and flowers after her Junior recital

End of freshman year.

Stand partner and dear friend, Jimmy

Jimmy was in Gratz with Georgia (I hope my memory is not wrong on this...)

At a performance with Jimmy

With Jordan 

Friends at church - Michelle

Post-concert with conductor and orchestra friends

After her recital with roommates Shanna and Sally

Hanging out with Sally (who must have given her many rides)

Another studio gathering - with Sarah.