More Tears...

Saying good bye is never easy, I guess it isn't supposed to be. It could be tempting to wish for all the things that never were rather than be thankful for what one did have. I pray my family can find something to treasure in the life of the man they knew so little of and yet who was such a big part of their lives.

I am thankful for the man whose name lives on in my husband and my son. I am thankful for the opportunity to watch him years ago help my husband fix his tie before a family wedding, for the unexpected phone calls late at night, for cards exchanged, and emails sent and received. I am thankful for the few times I had the chance to meet him in person and the little ways I see him in my children; bushy eye brows, a cleft chin, Bethany's congenital cholesteatoma that gave her a special connection to her grandpa, and an avid love of cars in my boys.

Grandpa Jim was not a particularly religious kind of man, but we know that God sees the heart of each one and He does not make any mistakes. We are asked only to trust that He makes wise choices and so, though our hearts are hurting once again, we give another loved one into the hands of the God.