There have been a lot of big changes going on in our lives. As we approach Doodle’s 2nd birthday and get closer to welcoming baby #4, we should be filled with joy and excitement. But unfortunately the past few weeks have been harder than most.
Two years ago, when Doodle was born, he joined a family with two sisters, two parents, four healthy grandparents and four great-grandparents. The same exact family Honeybun had been born into nearly six years before.
But the past two years have brought a lot of heartache and sadness to our family as hubby and I have repeatedly said good-bye to our grandparents (and our children’s great-grandparents). First we lost hubby’s Grandpa when Doodle was only 5 months old. Then last summer we said our good-byes to hubby’s Grandma just weeks before my Gran’ma. And now, just last week, we lost the last Grammy standing.
Our family tree has shrunk immensely in the past two years and it is really strange to think that our last baby will not ever know any of his/her great-grandparents when his/her siblings all had 4.
But we have all been so fortunate to have had these amazing people in our lives.
Hubby’s Grandpa was a veteran of World War II and while extremely quiet, he had so much pride for his family and their accomplishments. He lived a simple life and never wished or asked for much. He loved to just sit and watch his great-grandchildren play.
Hubby’s Grandma was the cutest, sweetest lady I’ve ever known. She was enamored by life and often tickled by things others did for her. She lived in her childhood home until her last days and loved sharing stories or growing up on her family’s blueberry farm.
My Gran’ma had a giving soul (much like my own mommy), she always put others first and took pride in handcrafting gifts for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren until her last days. She was a locally renowned opera singer and chose to work way past the usual retirement age before joining a seniors dance troupe that performed for the “old” people.
Hubby’s Grammy was very well read and never without an opinion which she often shared in the local newspaper’s editorial columns. She was an avid writer and part of many book clubs and even managed writing seminars at the assisted living facility where she spent her last few years. She raised four children of her own and always had wonderful bits of wisdom, advice and stories to share with us.
They all loved their great-grandchildren immensely and took great pride in their accomplishments and reveled in spending time with them. I know they all lived wonderfully long and fulfilling lives. And I am thankful for the time we had with them but I still really miss them. I have to constantly remind myself that everyone dies eventually, it’s just a part of life.
And the selfish part of me wants them back. I want them to be here to see my children grow. I want them to be here to experience life with us. But they’re not and it’s just a reality we’re going to have to get used to.
Death is nothing new for us, but hopefully it’s not something we’ll have to deal with again so closely anytime in the near future! And all I can hope for at this point is that all the wonderful things that made up our grandparents (those that we’ve lost recently and those that we lost in the past).
