My Gramp!

Its funny how a smell, a saying, or even a look, can make you remember someone who has passed. Today, I had a patient who reminded me of my grandfather. I started to travel down memory lane, something I haven't done in a long long time and I realized its been 10 years since he passed. He died when I was living in North Carolina and I was about 4 months pregnant with my first child. His last years were miserable! He was in and out of nursing homes, hospitals, and his final stop.. hospice.

I visited him every night when he was in the nursing home. I hated to see him struggle to breathe, I hated the in and out admissions to the hospitals,and when he passed I found great comfort in knowing he would no longer suffer. I spent a lot of time with him when he became ill, we became closer than we ever had been.  I can still remember his smile, his laugh,and his smart ass remarks. I remember him telling me over and over again... "those eyes". He loved my eyes and always made a big deal about them. When I was fretting over something, he always reassured me it would work itself out and I shouldn't sweat the small stuff. I am just now getting better at taking that advice.

He was a  funny guy who called women broads, loved his Sanka coffee, and often rolled his eyes at his wife when she was bitching, which she routinely did. He always made me feel special, especially in his last years; years he was struggling. He wasn't a perfect man, but he was a great man. Damn, I miss him!!