Goodbye Grandad

I had my weekend all planned out in my head and a trip home was not part of it. But when I got a phone call yesterday from my best friend telling me that her grandfather had passed away I knew I would be making the trip. I got up this morning and made the drive in time to meet my fam for lunch and make it to the funeral home for visitation. We patiently waited in the already long line of people waiting to pay their respects and made our way up to where the family was. I took hold of Nanny's hands (Lyndsay's grandmother) and told her I was sorry. She was just looking at me trying to figure out who I was...she recognized me but couldn't think of my name. I told her I was Angela, Lyndsay's friend, and she said "Oh, yes. You came when Kyleigh was born and... a lot of other things." I said "Yes. A lot of other things." Then she said "You'll have to forgive me. I've been under a lot of stress lately."

I have known Lynz a long time and through that have gotten to know her family pretty well. I remember when we were little, Grandad bringing Lynz and Katie to the swimming pool almost everyday during the summers. He was always at our tennis matches and choir shows. He always greeted me warmly and had the most wonderful smiling eyes. Lyndsay often ate lunch with her grandparents and when I was home one weekend she had plans to have lunch with them and they graciously invited me to join them. Grandad was kind and welcoming and they treated me like family. Lyndsay loved her grandfather dearly and he loved her. He adored getting to take care of Kyleigh once a week and has been doing the best he has, health wise, than in the past couple of years. Thursday he had a massive stroke that would have required him being on life support and never being "Grandad" again. His loving family made the hard decision to let him go. They knew this was what he would have wanted and they couldn't bear the thought of him never being the same. I'm so proud of them for making that decision, even in their shock and grief they honored what they knew he would have wanted.

While I have known several people who have passed away, Grandad is the first I have had any kind of relationship with, which hurts. Not to mention that I know my friend is hurting. She is strong. She is grateful that he went this way and did not spend months even years hurting and never being like "himself". She has no regrets. But still, it hurts. And like the joy I had the first time I held her child...giving me unexplainable chills, my heart is sad and hurts in an unexplainable way for my friend. And for her family.

I didn't really know what to say to her. I actually felt like I was about to lose it several times when I was there and she seemed perfectly calm. There's not really anything I can do other than pray, pray, pray and intercede some more for her and her family. But it seems like there should be more. I'm just glad I could be there to give my best friend a hug. And say goodbye to Grandad.