This is my sweet little girl, Annie Rose. Her name is pretty special to me. Most people realize her middle name is after my mom, Rosemary. Her first name, Annie, is also special.
This is my great-grandma, Annie Blaylock Johnson. She died before I was 2, so I don't remember her. I don't really even know that much about her. She was born on St. Patrick's Day in North Ogden, lived in Idaho most of her adult life, served a mission to Sweden while her husband was mission president there, grew raspberries, and was a great seamstress. Before my grandpa (her son) died, he would often talk about her and how much he looked forward to being with her when this life was over. He spoke of her so tenderly that I know she must have been a good, sweet mother.
When I was in Young Women, we had an activity on family history and each completed a pedigree chart. As I went home afterward, I remember looking over the names on my pedigree chart. I decided that I would like to name my children after my ancestors. There were some pretty names - Christina, Elizabeth, Mary, Elise - and some not so pretty (we don't need to mention names - I'm sure you can imagine based on the names on your own pedigree chart). The name I was drawn to was Annie and ever since then, I have wanted to name my daughter Annie.
I never really considered what would happen if my husband didn't like the name. Luckily, Floyd liked it too - even though he once had a dog named Annie.
When Annie was born, my grandma Johnson remembered a special blanket she had. Grandma Annie had given her the blanket many years ago. She sewed blankets for all her grandchildren and many of her great-grandchildren. When she gave my grandma this blanket, she told her she would know who it was for when the time came. The blanket sat at my grandma's house for a long time. When my little Annie was born, she was given this very special blanket made for her by her namesake nearly a half a century ago. Needless to say, Annie doesn't get to sleep with this one!
I love having this blanket so that my little Annie will always have a tangible connection to a grandmother she will not know in this life. And hopefully, I will take the time to learn more of my grandma Annie's life. Grandma Annie, we don't know you, but we love you and we are grateful to be a part of your eternal family. And, we hope Grandpa Johnson has given you that hug he was waiting for so excitedly.
"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." Malachi 4:5-6
