Thank you very much, everyone.
Personally, I actually feel okay. Not as sad because I believe she is far better off now than she was. The pain had been excruciating, and I did not want her to continually go through that. The people I'm more concerned about are my mom and dad, who loved my grandma long before I was born. They have taken it much harder.
You know, I consider myself lucky. I knew my great grandfather well before he passed when I was 15. I knew my grandparents on my mother's side who have both passed within the past 4 years, and I knew my grandmother on my father's side. I am very fortunate. I loved them all and they loved me, and I learned a great deal about life from them.
So me? My heart hurts a bit, but I am okay. I always took death differently than my immediate family. I do feel melancholy, but I'll be fine. My mom broke down in tears when we got the call, and I teared up myself. My dad? He was on the way back to our apartment. He found out while he was talking to his brother, who was in my grandma's room when it happened, so he heard the commotion from his sisters and brothers as it happened.
It does feel a little odd, that I no longer have any grandparents. That's a stage in my own life that has now passed on, but I won't forget what I learned from them. Wonderful people, all of them, with generous hearts and wise minds. They had courage and honor, dignity and respect, and if I turn out like them at all, I will have considered myself a blessed man beyond measure.
So I sit here and think about it, and how fleeting life is. You know, philosophical questions that makes my spirit itch but my faith can't scratch. Just random thoughts, really, but it helps me gain perspective. So let me close by saying that I love you all, and that I have a request: The next time you meet a member of your family, brother, sister, mom, dad, grandmother, aunt, cousin, it doesn't matter, and it doesn't matter where or when, but whenever you do, give them a hug and tell them how much you love them. We think it, but I don't think we say it as much as we should.
So with a peaceful heart, I wish you a pleasant evening and wish to thank you once more for your kindness and compassion. It was needed.
John
