Those of you who are close to me are keen to the events of the past few days, and I thank you so much for your being there. It has meant the world to me to know I have a support system outside of my family that stays with me despite my being thousands of miles away. Thank you for your phone calls, your text messages, your simply being there. Thank you for your letters, your cards, your hugs, your flowers, for seeing me off at the airport when I thought I was going to have to go back alone to D.C. with grief lingering on my mind. Thank you for staying up late with me to listen to my stories. Thank you for singing to me. Thank you for reminding me to smile. Thank you for sitting with me at work. Thank you for understanding that sometimes silence is best, that no words are needed. Thank you for everything.
He was there, and then he wasn't. He passed on Tuesday morning. July 7, 2009 at 8:15AM.
He was there for my first breath. I was there for his last. He went in a room full of his children and grandchildren. After having a life dedicated to his family, I don't think he would have preferred it any other way. I miss him very much, but he will stay with me for much time to come. With his courage, he taught us to smile in the face of adversity and to overcome it with the knowledge that death is a natural part of life. That people come and go, but it is love that continues on long after we pass.
This time has reminded me how much I love my family. I have been very fortunate to be raised with so much love and emotional support in all that I do. Without my family, I couldn't be where I am today. When all else fails, I know I still have something good to come back to.
Also, having my grandfather in my life and observing his relationship with my grandmother through the years has shown me that true love exists and that it is possible to find. At the end of the day, I couldn't ask for more.
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