Life has been full of so many emotions lately. It's been crazy. I will post more later about other events (because there are many), but for now, I will write what has been most on my mind. My sweet Grandpa.
Grandpa passed away on March 27. A few hours after landing in Texas to go house hunting, I got the phone call from my mom. Being far away at times like this is REALLY hard. Especially when I was supposed to be in house hunting mode, make some huge decisions and meet all these people for the first time (most probably thought I was crazy). And also being really sad that my trip I'd planned to see Grandpa again would actually be to go to his funeral instead. Death is a hard thing for me. I am so grateful for the knowledge I have of the after live but it is still hard for me and still sad. It's so great that he didn't have to suffer long, and that he is with Grandma again. It was hard to see him without his other half. It makes me smile to think of the sweet reunion they had. It will just be so different going home now. They moved in with my family when I was 1o and were a huge part of my daily life. It will be a new change for all of us. It was nice to be able to go home for a bit and be with family. What a great example both him and my Grandma have been to me. They definitely have been a big influence in my life and helped shape who I am.
Each set of Grandkids spoke at the funeral. For some reason I was the designated speaker :). Here's what we came up with:
What it meant to live with Grandpa Dick for 16 years:
· Never coming home to an empty house, because Grandpa was always there and ready for a visit.
· Always having our tummies full of licorice and pockets full of change.
· If by chance you happen to get a staple stuck in your finger, Grandpa would remove it with his pliers, even if he had to chase you down.
· Having someone to sit on the back porch with and have a drink.
· Having a constant example of what it really means to be green. He understood the concept to reduce, reuse and recycle: finding your old car mats with holes as a new welcome mat for Grandpa’s shop, finding newly washed saran wrap hanging in the kitchen, or saving the string from the water softener salt bags.
· Hearing cheerful whistling as Grandpa built his latest problem solving invention, most of which were to make Grandma’s life easier.
· Being proud to introduce him to our friends
· Having another parent to meet and approve our dates.
· Learning the proper order of dining at chuck-a-rama.
· Learning there’s always something to be happy about. Even on the gloomiest days you could expect to see Grandpa with a cheerful smile pointing out an interesting cloud formation.
· Learning that you are never too old to start a new hobby. At the age of 80, Grandpa bought himself a sewing machine, and took great pleasure in hemming his pants (even if one leg ended up 4 inches shorter than the other). This added a new benefit to us as we’d pick up on the latest fashion trends. Such as the blue leopard printed neckerchief Grandpa proudly handcrafted himself.
· Knowing it wouldn’t be long after you walked in the door before Grandpa would hear your footsteps and be up to give you a big hug and a loving hello.
· Learning that golf is a serious game, even when played on a miniature course.
· Watching Jazz games and hearing the phrase “That Kirilenko is a great player. I sure do like him.”
· Having late nights on the couch watching the rodeos.
· Waking up Grandpa, and having him act as if he had never been asleep.
· Seeing a bright pink bird house in your backyard.
· Learning that material possessions are not the most important thing. Like if you happen to wreck your car by hitting a bus or rolling it in the canyon, you could expect Grandpa to calm you down, reminding you it is just a piece of metal.
· Playing Cribbage on the kitchen table.
· Always hearing the phrases “ oh just have a little more” or “Can I get ya anything?” “Do ya need any money?” or “Oh a little licorice never hurt anyone”
· Going on trecks to DI, feeding the ducks, trips to Honks and WalMart.
· Receiving phone calls to inform us about the weather.
· Knowing that if there was a fire in the middle of the night, Grandpa would make a mad dash to get dressed and come running upstairs to help.
· Living with a constant reminder of how marriage was meant to be.
· Hearing, “isn’t she an angel?” when you’re only half way up the stairs.
· Being proud that your Grandpa named you, even if your middle name is Dawn.
· Having an extra hand to help with school projects.
· Hearing over and over that our Mom has never said an unkind word to him.
· Realizing that old age isn’t an excuse to stop learning something new. 90 years old is a great age for your first digital camera.
· Banging pots on New Year’s Eve.
· Seeing a pumpkin on your porch with a cute little sketch of a horse drawn on it.
· Eating Donuts on Saturdays with Grandpa Dick and Grandpa Danny.
· Eating your breakfast with Grandpa by your side reading the newspaper.
· Being able to find a solution to every problem. Like putting up a fence down the middle of the yard so we could have a dog and he could still have his garden.
· Having home-made picture frames
· Remembering that “Once a cowboy, always a cowboy.” Even at the age of 91 he made sure he was equipped with his cowboy hat and boots before ever leaving the house.
· Knowing that even though you could expect him to say he wasn’t hungry at supper time, he always found room to finish everything on his plate.
· Hearing stories about the good ol’ times on the ranch, and very rarely hearing the same one twice.
· Having someone to appreciate your cooking even through the learning years.
· Seeing our parents take tender care of Grandma and Grandpa.
· Pulling up to see Grandpa watering the dry spot on the lawn- and wondering why it only gets bigger every day.
· Learning from him to always make good use of your time. We’d often hear him say “What should I do? What could I be doing?” It was a common occurrence to see him out back smashing pop cans, planting flowers, feeding the birds, working in his shop. And after a snow storm it was always a race to see if you could beat Grandpa outside to shovel the walks.
· Hearing, “Knock Knock is anybody home?” each morning.
· Listening through the monitor to hear the sweet interactions of Grandma and Grandpa.
· Having the opportunity to play in a 4 man scramble golf tournament together and winning a trophy that could be seen on his mantle.
· Buying cinnamon rolls thinking “about others” to share.
· Sharing Christmas mornings with Grandpa.
· Receiving many phone calls wondering where mom was or if we think she’d be home soon.
· Playing games with Grandpa. Even bowling and golfing on the Wii.
· Helping us realize that actions speak louder than words
· Learning that there’s no such thing as too many marigolds.
· Being thanked for every little thing.
· Showing us he believed in people and treated them accordingly.
We count it as one of our biggest blessings to have grown up with Grandpa and Grandma as a part of our home. He has been a great example to us and has changed our lives forever. We will miss him dearly.
While I was in Utah, my sisters and I made my mom a blanket with some of my grandparents memorable clothes and we surprised her with it the day we left. We had so much fun doing this. It for sure was a learning experience seeing that none of us really knew what we were doing. We had a good time reminiscing and spending time together.
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My good lookin hubby!
