This morning my mom got the call that she had been dreading for some time. Her father (my grandfather) had passed away last night. We are all grieving at this time, but we are joyful knowing that because of His faith in Jesus Christ, he is in Heaven worshiping his savior.
Dear Grandpa,
In the last few
years, I’ve seen you suffer. I’ve seen
you lose hope. I’ve seen you lose
strength. I’ve seen you say
goodbye. Goodbye to the house that
brought you enjoyment. Goodbye to your
daughter and grandchildren who moved away.
Goodbye to the wife that was too far in her illness to remain living
with you.
My heart breaks,
thinking of you and the man you were.
The husband you were, the father you were, the grandfather you
were. Selfishly, I wish you didn’t
leave. I wish you could have seen more
of my life unfold. The house I will live
in. The career path I’ll follow. The man I will marry.
But instead, I
think back to my fondest memories that I will cherish forever. The stories I’ll tell my kids one day.
I remember coming
to your house in LaGrange Park, IL. You
always had Breyer’s Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. You would scoop me a bowl and when I
finished, you would always say, “Want some more?” As a five year old, the notion that endless
servings of ice cream were possible made you my superhero. Then we would watch Mr. Rogers together and I
would tell you that you looked exactly like him. You agreed!
And how could I
forget going to your house by Lake Michigan every weekend in the summer? You and Grandma took me to the beach, and I
would make you play “guess that stroke” (I would swim a stroke and have them
slap the water when they knew what it was hahaha!). Then we would grill out and I would sit with you as we shucked corn on the patio.
And how could I
forget your coffee drinking habits that I have completely inherited from you? Whenever I
went abroad, I would bring you back some coffee for you to enjoy. When you were in the hospital, I would stop
by Panera or Dunkin Donuts to bring you that cup o’ joe (with a pecan roll which I knew was your favorite!)
And how could I
forget listening to you tell me stories about falling in love with Grandma? Once, making a romantic dinner for you and
Grandma to enjoy. You got dressed up and
danced together to the music we had playing.
I giggled and took pictures of you and Grandma holding hands and
embracing. When I thought of your
marriage, I thought of true love.
I will never
forget Grandpa, I will never forget.
Even though we
will never see each other again on this side of heaven, I have peace knowing
that you are in a better place. You don’t have to suffer anymore, and every
tear is being wiped from your eyes.
I love you and I
miss you.
Your
Granddaughter,
Kim
