A Great Grandpa

This is Laura holding hands with her great-grandpa - my grandpa, my dad's dad. He passed away early Friday morning at the age of 87. Laura got to meet him just once. My grandpa survived quite a few health scares - heart attacks, a pulmonary embolism - but another mild heart attack in May really weakened him. Last week, Laura and I went to Wisconsin to say our goodbyes because we knew he didn't have much longer. She was a fantastic girl on the journey and traveled very well in the car!

I really wanted my grandpa to have the chance to meet his great-granddaughter. Seeing her brought the faintest smile to his face and he told me that she was "such a beautiful girl." I will remember that always. My grandpa was one of those guys who became more sweet and sentimental the older he got; he very strongly valued the relationship we shared as a family and continually spoke about it to us. Before he died I told him that he left a strong impression on me about three things: providing a special place and time for family to gather, loving and respecting one's spouse, and being there to support your family members at times that are important to them (my grandparents attended as many games, concerts, graduations, weddings, baptisms, confirmations, etc. as they could). I promised I would do my best to honor him by living these lessons and teaching them to my children too.

If your grandparents are still around, give them a hug and value the precious time you can spend with them.