Yesterday I woke up ready to celebrate my 39th birthday but within a few hours of getting up I found out my grandpa had died in the night. George married my grandma when I was around 11 but he lived down the street from her so he had always been around. Even before he was my grandpa he teased me, played with me and kept me "inline" as he called it.
Grandpa George adored my grandma and made her life wonderful in every way. He was calm, peaceful, loving and giving. My summers with them were filled with camping trips, boat rides, fishing, more yard sales than I care to remember and thousands of trips to McDonald's and the ice cream shop. Grandpa thought ice cream should be a daily event but grandma only allowed it weekly.
As I got older Grandpa and I swapped gardening tips and tales of who had the largest tomatoes. His were always bigger but since they lived in Ohio I always got the first tomato of the year.
When I had children of my own they each took a trip to Ohio with my mom where my grandparents spoiled them just as they had me. Grandpa taught them to make bread and grandma taught them to play jingle bells on the piano. At Christmas time every year we received the same gift from.... McDonald's gift certificates. Grandpa said every kid had to eat there at least once a year (he thought it was crazy I didn't take my kids there at least monthly).
Then two years before my grandma died Scott and I took the kids to spend Thanksgiving with them. We stayed 5 days and didn't really do anything but watch movies, look at pictures and take pictures of us all doing silly things. Every year that goes by I cherish those pictures more and more.
Yesterday as I began to cry God instantly comforted me with the reminder my grandparents are together
again. Grandpa is no longer tired, sick or lonely. He has been reunited with the love of his life.
Thank you grandpa for being a wonderful husband to my grandma and the best grandpa a girl could have! I will miss you but I rejoice in the memories you have left me with! If you care to read more about him you can
here.