Sunday, June 26, 2011

grandpa

i can hardly believe that june is almost over & this is only my 4th post of the month. i've never been so dry for so long. i've seen other bloggers go through dry writing spells & thought it would never happen to me. i'm such a foolish, naive girl sometimes.

my brain is dry like sand paper. uncooked pasta. my mouth after eating a scoop of chocolate milk powder. deserts. a fence post in the sun. my skin after too many zit cream applications. . . . i've got nothing else & those weren't even particularly colorful. i'm just dry. parched. drained. arid. depleted.

my grandpa died thursday. it's been a long time in coming. he was suffering and had so many things wrong with his body at the end that i'm sure it was a relief for it to end. i believe he's in heaven now and he's probably running around on the leg that he lost last year, happy to be mobile and energetic again.


the last time i saw him was about a year and a half ago and he was still riding around on his scooter, quacking to the ducks at the pond. he'd roll up and start quacking & ducks would come flying straight in, like they were his own personal pets. brooke loved riding with him on his scooter, around the mall or the botanical gardens or the neighborhood. he always made funny noises and did silly things to make the kids laugh.
grandpa feeding brooke snacks before a wedding in 2006.

sitting together in the garden in 2009.

his final moments. holding his daughter's hand.


i'll be leaving in a few days to drive the 13 hrs with my parents & the brookster to attend the funeral and visit the relatives. when we get back here, we'll be back to trying to find our new normal. everything seems to be shaped differently now.

we'll miss you, grandpa.

17 comments:

  1. I love you! Losing family members is hard.....and no matter how much we know they are in a better place, we still hurt and selfishly want them with us.....let it be said that I am selfish.....I want as much time with my family and friends as possible......be safe on your trip

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  2. Whoa. That final photo chokes me up. Sorry for your loss. My Grandparents were amazing. Everyone should be lucky enough to have grandparents.

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  3. that last photo killed me, Sherilin. Completely killed me. Hoo boy. Now I have to pretend I have to go to the bathroom and have a cry. No wait, I can't. I have no visine and we're having visitors soon. Damn. I'll have to re-book my cry for tonight when the kids go to bed.

    Been thinking of you.

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  4. Hugs my very sweet friend....... xxxooo

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  5. So sorry for your loss. My thoughts are with you.

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  6. I love the photos, Sherilin. Thanks for sharing mine! I need to figure out how to make a copy and then I am going to frame it.

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  7. Death certainly does reshape our lives.
    I am sorry he was so ill, but as you said, now he is free from all that and can run around on 2 good legs and Quack away.
    love that.
    Enjoy your visit with relatives and family.
    We all go through those dry spells, but you'll be back .......and ready to make us laugh again.

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  8. Wow...how moving! I have chill bumps. I'm glad he's not suffering but it is always so so hard to lose loved ones. I can tell from the photo that he was very proud of you. Glad his daughter was with him in the end. Sacred time for all. Safe driving.

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  9. Oh Sherilin, I'm so sorry. I know it's so tough to move, and on top of that, this? I'm glad he's not suffering and in pain any more, and I know that he will live in your heart, even though he's gone from here. Take your time with grief and the mourning - from moving as well as your grandpa's death. Like Wendy said, your dry spell will end and you'll be back in full force soon. Take good care of yourself!

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  10. I'm so sorry, Sherilin. Much love.

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  11. Sending thoughts and prayers your way! So sorry for your loss.

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  12. Sorry for your loss, Sherilin. Even though it's been well over 20 years, I miss my grandfather terribly. Peppermint lifesavers, fried egg sandwiches on kaiser rolls, "You're lookin' good. Who's your undertaker?", and trips to the park to feed the ducks (and laughing as our little brother got trampled by ducks that didn't care much for Wonder Bread).
    He was an Irish bartender. A stereotype perhaps, but we could always count on a cherry coke at the Windsock Tavern.
    As for Grandma? She always had beer in the house.
    I miss them both.

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  13. Sorry you lost your grandpa.

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  14. I love this post and love how you wrote about your grandpa- he sounded like such a funny/neat man! Sending lots of prayers of comfort for you and your family- have a safe trip!

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  15. I'm so sad for you. I am so glad that your family is with you and that you were not so far away in TN. Finding a new normal will be so hard, but I am glad that your grandpa is not suffering anymore.

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  16. I'm so sorry!! The photo of his hand is beautiful. I am truly sorry for your loss of someone so cherished.

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  17. I know this is a little late but I'm just now catching up on my blogroll. I just wanted to say sorry about your Grandpa. :(

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