In Memory

As you go through life, you connect with people for various reasons. You might share the same interests, you might have similar personalities, or you might just have enough in common to be drawn to each other. There are some who once you are connected remain in your life for a lot of years, and some for just a short time. Whatever the time, whatever the connection, people are something to be grateful for.

The connection that I had with my Grandpa started with my birth. There is no guarantee that we will come into this world on a certain date. We come when it happens. For me, I happened to come into this world on Grandpa’s birthday. I have been blessed to share that connection with him. It was because of that connection that we shared many celebrations, and then there was always that reminder of aging. That reminder is something that I will dearly miss.

Growing up as a child, one thing that I still remember is the tradition of getting together with family on Sunday afternoon. Not only did that keep our family close, but it lead to many good memories. A big part of those Sunday afternoons with family involved watching the Lions during football season, and the Tigers during baseball season. I can’t speak for everyone, but that love of those two teams was passed on to me. We also shared a connection to West Catholic football. I’m actually quite proud that for a girl, I really like watching so much football. It just won’t be the same to hear the complaining about the Lions, and to talk about the Tigers, and how they are doing.

Grandpa was famous for many things in our family. We all know his famous prayer before meals. We all know that he loved his ice cream. That has certainly been passed on to others in our family, including me. I also think that I have inherited his love of putting pepper on everything. I never eat without it. Those loves might not mean much to the average person, but to me, it’s special. It’s one way that Grandpa’s memory and legacy will live on.

The bond between a Grandpa and a granddaughter is special. I see that more now that I have nieces and see them with their Grandpas. My bond, and probably a lot of others bonds got stronger with him after he got back to Michigan in the Spring. It was then that a whole new journey began; one that would change a lot of lives.

No one wants to hear the word cancer, or hear that they have a serious illness. But lots of people do. Sure, we’ve all known people with something. But when you are directly affected, when it’s your family going through it, it’s a whole different world. I learned the importance of having great faith. I learned just how supportive people can be. I learned the importance of living each day to the fullest. I learned there are two choices in life; you can either make the best of it, or give up. We only have one life that God has given us. And I know that the way that Grandpa lived at the end taught many a good lesson or two. He lived with grace. He had good, quality time with people. He said very meaningful things to people. Those lessons taught me things. They taught me to share with others, and to not take anyone for granted. There is no such thing as telling someone you love them too many times, and everyone deserves to feel special and wanted. I’m so glad that the lessons that Grandpa showed towards the end of his life will stay with me for some time.

Being with Grandpa as he was called home to be with God was an experience that I will never forget. I am glad that he went peacefully surrounded by people who were important to him. We could not have asked for a more peaceful end to his life. I never expected so much of my bravery to come out. To be able to speak in front of lots of people to say how much sharing such special things with Grandpa is not something I would normally do. It may not have been easy, but it was something that needed to be done.

Going through death, and going through such a hard time was a lot. What made it easier was the amount of people who cared, who prayed, and who were so supportive to us. The other thing that has helped is the memories, and how much each thing that is shared with Grandpa means. Yes, he is missed. But I am thankful to have shared so much with him.