Saying Good Bye

My Grandfather recently passed away.  He was a sweet man with a generous, loving heart.  He seemed stern and severe until he spoke or smiled at you.  Loyal, hard working and kind, brilliant at math, skilled at painting and drawing, a good husband, a good father and a wonderful grandparent.  There are not enough men like him.

Some of the clearest childhood memories I have of my Grandpa are simple and quite silly; we were visiting Grandma and Grandpa in their New Jersey home and had brought along our young toy fox terrier, Niblet.  Grandpa took a shine to her almost instantly.  He'd walk around the house in his bathrobe with little Niblet tucked away in his bathrobe pocket.  He would pet her and lovingly call her by her given nickname, "What Is And What Isn't, Everything And Everything".  I remember us trading quarters for kisses and Grandpa pretending to be poisoned by Grandma's food at the dinner table.  If he had a plate of delicious food, he'd stare at the plate and say very calmly, "Ok, no one talk to me for five minutes."  More recently, we would play 20 Questions and Grandpa would start off every round by staring me down and saying, "I know what you're thinking."  

It's easy to rage and scream that life is not fair.  Sometimes it isn't.  My Grandpa lived on this Earth for 81 years and that's something.  He was a teacher and a mentor who functioned best when he was able to do what he was great at.  It's true, sometimes life is not fair, but sometimes we get a long stretch of road and it's up to us to make the most of it.  My Grandpa did and I fully intend to do the same.  Loss will always hurt and we will never be totally prepared for it no matter when it happens.  This loss my family is enduring was sudden, over with very quickly.  A flash of light and he was gone.  There was no wait, no prolonged suffering, no wringing of hands and wondering when it would be over.  That exit was a gift to us all.

I know for a fact that my Grandpa is watching over me as I type this, smiling at the memories we made together.  If I could say one thing to him, I would say that I'm lucky I had him in my life for thirty years.  I would say that the world is a better place for having had him in it.  I would say that I admire him.  How many people do we get to say that about?

Below is a poem that I wrote for my Grandpa.  It will be read aloud by the preacher officiating the eulogy tomorrow.  Since I can't be there, it brings me comfort to know that my words will be.

For Grandpa, one of the sweetest people I have ever known.

You were a kind man with a big heart.
Now that you're gone, we're torn apart.
I still find it hard to speak of you,
the loss of you has torn me through.
You made us smile, you made us laugh.
I would like to say on your behalf
that you made the world a better place.
You took it on with aplomb and grace.
I know one day I'll see you again,

it's not a matter of "if" but "when".

I'm glad that I had you for 30 years.
I promise to not remember you with tears
but with memories of art, smiles and laughs.

One day again you will cross my path.

Thank you for letting me share with you the memory of a wonderful man.  His name was Robert, my Grandpa.


Until next time,

~Story Siren