Grandpa Ron

Two weeks ago now, my Grandpa Ron passed away. It was very unexpected and caught me by complete surprise. I was left wishing I had had more conversations with him about his life. I was left wishing I had told him I loved him more and had hugged him tighter the last time I saw him.

My fondest memories of my Grandfather occurred when I was quite a bit younger. He was very active and loved to hike and bike. My Dad and my grandpa used to take my sister and I on bike rides. Long ones! We would ride to Fox Lake and see Grandpa's knife shop and go to the Lake. Both he and my dad really loved nature. We were constantly learning about wildlife. Finding cocoons and owl pellets was the highlight of any of our trips!

My other favorite memories were when we got to go with Grandpa Christmas shopping. Every year he took my sister and I shopping and let us spend a set amount of money on anything we wanted. It was so much fun. He took genuine interest in the things we were interested in. He helped us to figure out if we had the money to buy certain things. We talked and laughed and just had a great time. Over the years, it evolved from toy stores to clothes stores. I wish I could go back and do all those trips all over again.

I think the magnitude of losing my Grandpa is greater than losing other Grandparents along the way. I've suddenly become so much more aware of what losing a parent could mean. I love my parents so much and the thought of being on this earth without them is hard. I cant begin to imagine how my dad must be feeling. I know he must miss him. I know he must think about all the memories and wish them back. I am sure he thinks about all the things he wishes he'd said: I know I do. I also know that in light of this I want to tell my parents all the things I love about them. I want to thank them for being loving parents who made sure we always had what we need. I want to thank them for all the plays, choir concerts and volleyball games they brought me to. I want to thank them for the encouragement they gave, the private voice lessons they paid for, the places they drove me. I want to hug my dad and tell him it's ok. Losing a loved one is so very hard.