One of the Greatest

My mom woke me up at 6:34 this morning.  I thought it was my alarm going off, but slowly, I realized it wasn't my alarm at all.  I wondered what my mom would be calling me about so early.  She knows I don't get up until 9:00.  Sometimes later.  I almost let it go to voice mail.  Anything to due with Dad's birthday party really wasn't that important, and could wait.  I answered it any way.
My grandfather passed away at around 2 a.m. last night.  I could tell my mom wanted to get off the phone.  I could hear her voice crack.  I hung up, and broke down.  I feel like that scene in the movie Howl's Moving Castle where Sophie is floating in the air, and her tears float in the sky.  Only she is crying because she is happy.
My mom emailed me last week and told me he was bedridden.  He was getting bed sores, and was probably so uncomfortable.  He had Parkinson's disease, and dementia.  When I visited him in December, he still knew who I was, but I could see his health was declining.  He saw things that weren't there.  Mostly animals.  I didn't know how much longer he could hold on.  So he is no longer in pain, and his mind is finally clear.

He was such a wonderful grandpa.  He was soft spoken and shy, but I knew he loved me.  I heard some one once say that children need their grandparents.  Because they need some one in their lives who loves them just because they were born.  He was my grandpa who loved me just because I was born.  He never let me doubt it.  I will miss him so much.  I love you because you were born, too, Grandpa.

 This is Grandpa and my boys in December when we took our trip to visit.

About eleven years ago, before I had kids, I took a trip with my sister and her family to visit my grandparents.

Grandpa loved horses.

 I love this picture of my grandpa.  It's just like him.  Quiet, contemplative.  My cowboy.

Grandpa was born December 29, 1928.  He died April 22, 2011.  He was 83.