See you again

Last week my grandpa passed away. He was just a few months short of his 99th birthday and he was my last remaining grandparent.

I’ve had such a mix of emotions in the past week. The world feels right and not right at the same time. It seems impossible that the world could exist without him, yet every time I saw him and hugged him goodbye I wondered if it would be the last time. At the same time, because of how strong he was, I also felt like he would live forever (or until at least 100). The world also seems strangely right, because my grandpa has now been reunited with my grandma, who passed away over 3 years ago. My grandparents were married for 65 years and I’m glad that they can be together again. They’re probably bickering in the afterlife as I write this.

I’m also incredibly grateful for the time that I had with my grandpa. As a child, I saw him once a week growing up. I got to take him to school and show him off on grandparents day. He knew the names of all of my grade school teachers and could recite them long after I’d forgotten. He loved photography and would always make us take “one more picture.” He also trained us well. My family is obssesed with photography! (I swear that my grandpa took the original selfie.) He recorded cartoons for me and sat by the vcr and cut out all of the commercials. I still remember my cousin telling me that not everybody’s grandpa would spend their day watching cartoons and diligently cutting out all of the commercials. He loved puns and sudoku. He was obsessed with the weather and had a green thumb that sadly, I did not inherit (though maybe I’ll give it a try this coming year). He was the happiest (and cutest) that I’ve ever seen him at my wedding. This weekend I also learned things about him that I never knew. I learned about his life before he became my grandpa and about all of the incredible things he did. I knew he was clever but never realized just how brilliant he was and the legacy he left behind. He was also incredibly devoted to our family and I know that even though he’s gone, a little piece of him lives in each and every one of my family members. I only hope that I can do him justice.

Rest peacefully grandpa. See you again someday. xxx