So, I know I don't talk about religion...and I'm really not going to today either, but as this week has come to a rather abrupt conclusion I will write about my Great-Grandfather. We lost my Great-Grandmother in February of 2009, the year I got pregnant for Fuss. I feel that she has been around to watch her great-great-granddaughter grow into the spunky little girl that she is (and probably had a hand in that spunk as well!). This week, my Great-Grandfather had a massive heart attack and was placed in the hospital. We didn't expect him to make it to the weekend, but he did. I visited him the same day the doctor had told my uncle and cousin that he wasn't going to last long. From being paralyzed and not able to speak, he had an entire afternoon of intermittent moments of lucidity. He spoke with his granddaughters and his great-granddaughters. For me, it was surreal. I have never been close to him like the other grandchildren were/are. It is a very long story and one I won't get into as it's not my story to tell. However, as I was getting ready to leave his room, he grabbed my hand and pulled me close to him, squeezing tight. Poppy (as we called him) refused to let me go. So I stayed a little longer. I had errands to run, but they weren't important right then. He was. He looked at me and smiled. He squeezed my fingers. Then he said, unprompted, "I love you." He had never done that with me. Ever. I am so blessed to have had that one moment with him and to know that in his last hours, he was able to tell me he loved me. A few hours later, Poppy took a turn for the worse and was placed on comfort measures. He passed away Sunday morning at 9 a.m.
I am very glad to have gotten to know him better in the last few years, but even more glad that Fuss was able to know her Great-Great-Grandfather. Not too many people can say that. She may not remember him fully, but his love for her will last in her heart. I know now that he is walking with my Great-Grandmother alongside a river just like the one they chose to build their retirement cabin on. My Fuss now has another Ancestor to watch over her as she continues to grow and mature.
Goodbye, Poppy. Rest in peace and enjoy eternity with Mamaw Rie.
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