It is with a heavy heart that I begin my post today. My grandfather has fallen ill. The outcome is bleak. There have been more trips to the hospital than days filled with joy and more pain than happiness, yet through it all he has one request, to see all of him family, one more time. I'm sorrowful. Not for a man that lived his life to a ripe age, but more for my dad who will soon lose his father. A father who raised him to be proud of hard work and respect those around him. A father who is so proud of his children that he beams even to say their names. My dad will soon have to say goodbye to a father who was the rock in his life. A father who was himself raised to cherish honor, dignity and respect. A father who will be missed but never forgotten. I am also sorrowful for my dear grandmother who is losing her husband of almost seventy years. A husband who she has loved and hated, smiled with and cried with, shared the greatest highs and the deepest lows with. A husband who is more to her than a man. He is her world, her everything. I weep deeply for her. I wish I could prevent her pain. I wish my father would never have to endure the death of his father. I grieve for a family that will lose the deepest root of their tree. For my grandfather, I wish him no more pain. No more agonizing trips to the hospital only to come home weaker and less stable. No more struggling for breath or becoming exhausted from normal activities. No more pain. I wish him all that heaven can offer, and damnit, if there are 42 virgins waiting for him... I wish for him to have a huge bottle of viagra.
Grandpa,
You are more important than you know, to more people than you can imagine. You have had so many trials but you have always overcome them with zest and come out the other side stronger. You are a huge inspiration to all who have known you. You have created a bond stronger than death and more persistent than this mortal world. A bond that your children have passed on to their children. A bond that has fused us all together. We are proud to call you family.
May the road ahead be paved with gold and may you drive it in a Lincoln. May you never want for anything. May you have all that your heart desires. May your cup overflow with love and may your heart always be full enough to share it.
We all love you and will miss you dearly.
