Miss you, grandpa!

Today is a hard day for me. We lost my grandpa two years ago today, and I remember it like it was yesterday. My grandpa was a man of integrity. He loved his country and served it with dignity and pride to the day he died. Most of all, he loved his family. He has four children (my mom included). There are nine grandchildren in all, and I don't know how many great-grandchildren, but he loved each one of us for who we are (good and bad), and supported us in everything we did. Above all else, he adored my grandma.

I have one regret, and it's that I never told him how much I respected him and appreciated him, and how much I learned from him. As I grew older, I found myself really enjoying sitting around my grandparents kitchen table just talking to my grandpa and listening to all the stories he had to tell. He had so many, and I loved each and every one of them. He never held back, either. If he didn't agree with someone or something, or didn't like someone, he let you kow. But I appreciated that. The best advice he ever gave me was, "Don't go to bed mad." And every time I do, I think of him, and what he would tell me to do so that I didn't have to go to bed mad.

I didn't always get to spend as much time with him as an adult, but I did spend a lot of time with him as a child. My grandparents went everywhere with mom and dad and I. I thank my parents for inviting them to come with us, and I cherish those memories so much. We went everywhere in South America with them, they came to Australia with us, we all went to Belize, and I think we even went on a cruise together as well. I was so lucky that he was able to see me graduate from high school, with my bachelor's and then with my master's. Those were some of my proudest moments, and he was there to share them with me. We definitely had some fun times.

I'm sad that he won't be here to share in some other events in my life, but I know, deep down, that he'll be there (if you know what I mean). Not a day goes by that I don't think about him, but I also know that he's in a better place. I remember when he first had his stroke. Mom and I hopped on the first plane to Ohio so we could be there by his side with the rest of our family. It was scary. So scary. And I remember one day just sitting in his hospital room - just me and him - and he couldn't talk, but he motioned for me to come over and hold his hand. That was probably the last time I got to do that, and I'll take that with me forever.

Unfortunately, God felt that He needed him more. I'll never forget the day, two years ago, when on a Monday morning just like any other my phone rang at 6 a.m. You know it's never good when your phone rings that early in the morning, and when I saw it was mom's number, I instantly knew the minute I answered the phone.

So while I'm sad today because I miss my grandpa, I also celebrate him, and all that he did for our country and our family. I remember the good times - all the birthday parties, the Christmases, the Thanksgivings, and everything in between. I remember how much he loved us and wanted nothing but the best for us. I love you grandpa!!