My Grandma: my hero, My Grandpa: my angel
My Grandfather passed away on Thursday. Instead of thinking of it as him losing a battle, I prefer to see it as him winning the battle. He is in heaven now where he can be at peace and watch over his beloved family and friends.
My Grandma is handling his death with so much courage and faith. It's amazing for me to watch her and I have so much to learn...
I just returned from Florida last night. It was great to be surrounded by family. We drew lots of strength from each other. We will all gather in Nebraska later this week for his funeral here. I miss my Grandpa a lot, and haven't accepted the fact that he's not on earth anymore. At their house, I repeatedly expected him to walk in the door and for everything to be normal. I'm sure this will become more and more real as time goes on. However, I do feel that a part of him is still with me and always will be. We were great buddies, and that will never change.
I will be a pallbearer and read the eulogy at his funeral this week. I only hope I can help make the service as nice as he deserves. When I talk about my Grandpa, I could write an entire book about how he influenced my life and how special he is to me. From a letter I wrote to Grandpa recently, "My love and admiration for you is so great. I feel so blessed to have someone like you in my life who I could look up to as I grew from a cute infant, to a loud and obnoxious child, into a confident adult with clear goals and a deep sense of being loved. You have influenced me in so many ways." "You are my Grandpa...the Grandpa who calls me Stephonopolis...the Grandpa who takes me to the post office and for rides in the pickup to discuss all the important things in life...the Grandpa who always has a way of saying things in a way that makes sense and has always instilled the belief in myself that I was okay...more than okay...worthwhile, loved, and with lots of potential."
Two pieces of advice from Grandpa which I will include in the eulogy come from a book that Grandma, Grandpa, and I wrote in and passed back and forth. In Grandpa's own words:
"As you go forward, remember when things start to pile up. Take a deep breath, smile from ear to ear, and notice the impact a sily grin has on people. They will all start smiling too."
"Way back in high school, I felt that Love was wanting for another that wchich that person or person's, wanted for themselves. It wasn't until much later that I began to understand that view was incomplete and didn't really capture the true meaning of love.
While reading the Bible, I began to kindly understand some things that made a lot of sense. First one was to accept that the only things in life one can keep are those things one is willing to give away. That means for Love to grow, it must be set free. There is no room for 'jealous possession' or owndership or love will falter. When love is sincerely given and set free the reward is it comes back to you many times over. Love is giving to others, especially to those who are most needy of love, whether it's a smile, a meal, or even understanding."
Thanks, Grandpa. I love you.
My Grandma is handling his death with so much courage and faith. It's amazing for me to watch her and I have so much to learn...
I just returned from Florida last night. It was great to be surrounded by family. We drew lots of strength from each other. We will all gather in Nebraska later this week for his funeral here. I miss my Grandpa a lot, and haven't accepted the fact that he's not on earth anymore. At their house, I repeatedly expected him to walk in the door and for everything to be normal. I'm sure this will become more and more real as time goes on. However, I do feel that a part of him is still with me and always will be. We were great buddies, and that will never change.
I will be a pallbearer and read the eulogy at his funeral this week. I only hope I can help make the service as nice as he deserves. When I talk about my Grandpa, I could write an entire book about how he influenced my life and how special he is to me. From a letter I wrote to Grandpa recently, "My love and admiration for you is so great. I feel so blessed to have someone like you in my life who I could look up to as I grew from a cute infant, to a loud and obnoxious child, into a confident adult with clear goals and a deep sense of being loved. You have influenced me in so many ways." "You are my Grandpa...the Grandpa who calls me Stephonopolis...the Grandpa who takes me to the post office and for rides in the pickup to discuss all the important things in life...the Grandpa who always has a way of saying things in a way that makes sense and has always instilled the belief in myself that I was okay...more than okay...worthwhile, loved, and with lots of potential."
Two pieces of advice from Grandpa which I will include in the eulogy come from a book that Grandma, Grandpa, and I wrote in and passed back and forth. In Grandpa's own words:
"As you go forward, remember when things start to pile up. Take a deep breath, smile from ear to ear, and notice the impact a sily grin has on people. They will all start smiling too."
"Way back in high school, I felt that Love was wanting for another that wchich that person or person's, wanted for themselves. It wasn't until much later that I began to understand that view was incomplete and didn't really capture the true meaning of love.
While reading the Bible, I began to kindly understand some things that made a lot of sense. First one was to accept that the only things in life one can keep are those things one is willing to give away. That means for Love to grow, it must be set free. There is no room for 'jealous possession' or owndership or love will falter. When love is sincerely given and set free the reward is it comes back to you many times over. Love is giving to others, especially to those who are most needy of love, whether it's a smile, a meal, or even understanding."
Thanks, Grandpa. I love you.
posted by Steph at
2:15 PM
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