Papa

Most of you have already found out through facebook, but of course, I need to include this in my blog. It is a brief interruption to my "Insulin Is Not A Cure" series. But, it is necessary. And I know you guys won't mind. My grandpa passed away last night. Needless to say, today has been a rough day. I count each day that I was with him a blessing. He was such a great grandpa. As you see in the above picture, Madison on the left and me on the right, he loved his children and grandchildren. He had many of them! It is always a sad day when you experience losing a loved one. This post is just for you, Grandpa, I know you're up there with God, and I know you are no longer in pain, and I thank God for that. But, I am missing you.

My grandpa was a Vietnam war veteran and a World War II veteran. He served his country faithfully. He was a respected man. He put mustard always on his ham and ketchup on pretty much everything haha. I remember he used to take walks with Madison and I around his neighborhood, as you see in the above picture. He used to mess with me and ask me if my name was Penelope. I would get all flustered and be like, "No! My name is Morgan!" He would act all confused and say, "Ohhh..." haha. Good times. He always kept Fudgesicles in the freezer for when his grandkids came to visit. We always knew Papa had fudgesicles. One of my favorite memories was going to a breakfast place called Tip Top. We never went out for breakfast, at least not that I could really remember compared to Tip Top, and it was one of my favorite things when we went to California. I just loved the place. When Madison and I would wake up in the morning, he would always start to sing...


"Good mornin', Good mornin',
I slept the whole night through,
Good mornin', Good mornin' - to you"


Haha he was always in a good mood. He was good at poker, and liked to talk about the news. He would let Madison and I watch cartoons in the morning and sometimes sit there and watch them with us. He always sat in his designated rocking chair, and I remember never sitting there because I knew it was Papa's chair. My mom always used to tell me that I got my curly hair from him because neither of my parents had curly hair. I never doubted it for a second. I also always assumed I got the Irish in me from him. He was Irish and had a bit of a Boston accent which only endeared him to us! The pool in California in their neighborhood was where I inspired my mom to sign me up for swim lessons.  With all of these things, it didn't even occur to me that he wasn't my blood grandpa. Just because I'm adopted doesn't mean he isn't my grandpa. He always asked me about how I was doing in school and swimming and told me to keep it up because it would pay off. I always tried to listen. His bear hugs were the best. I'm grieving for you right now, Papa, and it's healthy to grieve; I'm going to miss you every day, but I will see you again in time, God's time, when it's finally my day to go. Thank you for all the fun times. You are always in my heart!

"Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him."

-1 Thessalonians 4:13-14