Grampy

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about Grampy, my maternal grandfather who passed to the other side in August 1988. He was only 68 when he lost his battle with colon cancer. When you’re 14, 68 seems very old. But when you’re 33 and have very active and vibrant family members in their 60′s, 68 seems very young. He’s been gone nearly 20 years… 20 years. Wow. So much has changed in 20 years…

Anyway, I very much believe that when we pass from this existence to that better place so often mentioned, our souls are still connected to loved ones in this realm. More easily stated, I believe in spirits are around us all the time. Being cautious I make sure to only allow the good spirits to be near me, because I also believe that negative spirits will take advantage of misguided souls when given the opportunity.

Grampy comes around now and again to check in and make his presence known. He stopped by about a week ago to share in a memory. The experience was pretty neat.

I have great memories of Grampy reading Sam and the Firefly by P.D. Eastman. I’m not sure if it was the story itself or the way Grampy read it that makes this memory such a fond one. I just remember sitting on his lap at the townhouse on Partingdale Circle listening to him read about the nighttime adventures of an owl and a firefly. I can still picture his face and his expressions as he read the words.

As the Princess and the Superhero get older, reading to them has become much more exciting. I find myself wanting to read to them the books that my One-and-Only and I adored as children. Thanks to the amazing Bookmooch I was able to get a used copy. Yay!

When it arrived, I couldn’t wait to hold the Princess and read the story to her. So there we were, sitting on the couch reading the story. I didn’t get much into the first page when I felt Grampy sitting next to me. His presence was so strong and comforting. I reached out and imagined holding his hand. In my mind I said to him, “Thank you for being here right now. I love you and miss you.” He stayed while I read the whole book. He must have heard me talk about my memories of him reading that story to me. How special it was to have him share my first reading to my children (the Superhero was running around entertaining his grandparents, and I’m certain heard at least a few words).

I remembered that visit with Grampy yesterday as my Tour Guide shared a story about events that happened to him at a funeral recently. His examples just reinforced my belief that our loved ones are never very far away even when they cross to that realm of existence that we are blind to.

For me, it’s comforting to know that in death we are still connected to the people we love as strongly as we are in life.