In memory of my wonderful Grandpa

I am 29 years old, and lost my first grandparent just a few days ago. Last Saturday, January 1, 2011, my grandpa lost his battle to cancer and went home to be with the Lord and his parents. Our hearts are still hurting so badly, but we know he is no longer in pain, and able to see his mother, who died in childbirth when he was only 3 years old. If you look back on my blog from the beginning, you will find multiple posts about this great man, all with the same theme--he LOVED his grandchildren and great grandchildren. I am so glad that I have a record of these pictures and memories on my blog. Of course, there were no blogs when I was a child, but my mind is full of vivid memories of wonderful times spent at Grandma and Grandpa's house. I was the one and only granddaughter, and was always adored by them (not that the 4 grandsons weren't, because they were too! ;) Grandma and Grandpa took me home from the hospital and took care of me my first week of life when my mom became critically ill after giving birth to me. This always gave us a special bond I think :) My heart still hurts so bad, and it seems everyday I remember another wonderful memory of him, and just cannot believe he is really gone. If you never met him, then you really missed out. I am so thankful that he was able to meet and love my boys. He has held both my boys in his lap as newborns and talked and cooed and played with them, something I will never forget. The preacher read this at the funeral, and although I have heard it many times before, I have never realized just how fitting it was to describe MY grandpa:

One Hundred Years from now It will not matter what kind of car I drove, What kind of house I lived in, how much money was in my bank account nor what my clothes looked like. But the world may be a better place because I was important in the life of a child.

Here is a link to the slideshow that we played at the funeral. It is a wonderful tribute to an even more wonderful man: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns_IWUQeMjM

I love you Grandpa, I miss you, and I'll see you in heaven someday.