One of his last conversations with my dad, he made a promise. A promise to look out for Reagan, to be there to support her. I love thinking that right now, she has his hand in her tiny one and is leading him through her field of purple flowers. They are chatting about God, heaven, life down here. I imagine Grandpa telling her some of my childhood stories, of how I gave my parents trouble or ran around collecting bugs, never wanted to come inside, and certainly didn't want to follow the rules. I can picture Reagan showing Grandpa all she has learned, pointing out the wonders of heaven, dancing for Jesus side by side with him. It is a tremendous blessing for me to know that my daughter has another great-grandparent in heaven, one on our side, who can tell her more about us. I love that Grandpa found some peace and purpose in caring for and loving on Reagan until we get there.
Grandpa will be missed terribly. He was a rock - always encouraging to me. We lived far away for basically my whole life, but he was always easy to talk to when we were together. And him and Grandma would just crack us up at these recent weddings as Andrew and I turned into their chauffeur when both my sisters got married. Who would have thought they were so funny? It's hard to imagine Grandma without him and my heart just breaks for her. I cannot imagine the pain of spending 60 years with someone and then losing them in such a way. It helps to know he is no longer in pain, that he is in a better place, that he is with his own children lost long ago, but it doesn't take away the pain. I am so thankful we were able to be together this summer, that he was able to meet his two great-grandsons for the first time, that he could dance with us girls at one more wedding. I'm glad we were able to have a moment to say our goodbyes, to hug each other, and to know that it was only a temporary goodbye.
We love you Grandpa.
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