The Circle of Life

My Grandpa passed away today. For those of you who have heard about my Grandpa you knew he was quite sick and in the last few months his health had declined very rapidly and he had been in a lot of pain. It wasn't a shock that his time had come, he was 80 and like I mentioned quite ill. Hospice had been called in and so we had been told it was just a matter of time, weeks really.

Yesterday, the girls and I were driving back from Music Makers about 10:30 and Annie said to me, "mommy, old grandpa, is in heaven now." I came home and told John that it was a little strange that she brought it up because she hasn't seen him in a while and I haven't brought up to the kids how sick he has been. I just made a mental note of it her comment and went about my day. Well today my dad call and told my brother and John that Grandpa had passed this morning.

When I told Annie about it this sweet little girl sobbed and said "I know Mommy, I told you all ready". She was devastated. I tried to explain to her that Old Grandpa was in Heaven now and that his body worked again, that he could walk and talk just fine now and that he was with my Grandma. Annie has always had a sweet spot for my grandpa. He always had treats on the table by his bed (in his last few years that is all he wanted) and you could often find Annie sitting on his hospital bed eating them. Grandpa was always so nice to her and let her climb all over him and eat his treats whenever she wanted. My Grandfather had made me a wooden jewelry case when I was a teenager and Annie has it in her room and calls it her treasure chest.

I know we all have different memories but I do have good ones about my Grandpa. He always called me babe, really he called all women and girls babe. "love ya babe" was always signed in birthday card with a check. I remember being so excited to have a gift like that, especially as I got older and started buying my own school clothes.

I remember also that my whenever my grandparents visited they would take us to the toy store and let us pick out whatever we wanted. It was always so fun to walk through toys r us and pick out something special. Also KFC, I don't know why but when ever they came to Sac or we went to Riverside we had KFC with them. I also remember my grandfather always had a work shop, he loved to work with wood and was a construction worker for his career. He always had a project - or maybe he just liked being out there so he could smoke and my grandma wouldn't know it.

My grandparents were also very nice to John. I remember the first time John met him he was wearing a thick wool sweater and with his deep voice John thought he sounded and looked like an old fisher man. He always loved to ask John about Florida and his family there.

My grandparents also gave all of us a bunch of savings bonds. John and I were expecting Charlie and my dad called me into his office one day and told us he had found one that he hadn't realized he had, it helped out with me getting to stay home longer on my maternity leave. I truly appreciate how hard my Grandpa worked and that they thought enough of my siblings and I to give us these gifts. I am sure when they started them they had no clue what they would mean to us in the future.

I truly am happy for my grandfather that he is no longer in pain and in a better place. What joy for him that his body and mental state aren't causing him pain and he is free of his physical limitations. I pray that he is somewhere where he can work with wood and make everyone some more key chains or walking sticks out of the worm eaten wood he loved. We love you Old Grandpa ~ Til we meet again.