Week 48: Great Grandpa

Well, sometimes life just keeps punching. I have to admit that this post is more about me than about Jonah because he's too young to understand what happened.

Kristi and I waited for quite awhile after getting married to have Jonah - 10 years, in fact. Not completely uncommon for people in our generation, but a far cry from the world of our Grandparents, or even our parents for that matter. I'll never forget what my grandparents said when my mom told them we were going to have a baby: "oh, they decided to adopt!" I guess they had given up on us. Sadly, both of my dad's parents had been gone for quite awhile before Jonah came along, but thankfully, both of my mom's parents were still here to meet him. Needless to say, they are crazy about him. My grandpa was always asking for more time with him and, unfortunately, it always seemed that our time was rushed. Being in a different timezone with a young child is challenging when trying to get in meals and naps. Particularly Jonah - I swear you can set your watch by the kid. He's very scheduled.

This past Christmas was particularly rushed thanks to the blizzard abbreviating our schedule. Very sadly, that would be the last time I would see my grandpa alive. He passed away this Monday morning. He was blessed with a long, full life but had been failing for quite some time.

I was on a work trip in Denver last week when I got word that he was in the hospital again. That wasn't a terribly uncommon occurrence, but we always took it seriously. However, it was clear that his body was starting to shut down this time. He decided to go gracefully and was sent home with Hospice care on Saturday. I got back to NYC on Saturday and tried desperately to make it back with Jonah so we could see him - but moreover, so Grandpa could have a bit more time with Jonah. Unfortunately, I missed him by a day. I planned for this photo to be of Grandpa and Jonah, but it wasn't to be. Here's hoping we more time for Great Grandma, pictured above, to watch Jonah grow.

Great Grandpa loved to work with wood. We spent a lot of time in my childhood in his wood shop. About 10 or so years ago, one of my mom's friends commissioned him to build a school bus for her son who wanted a bus for his Beanie Babies to ride. Her son graduated from high school this year and in an act of wonderful generosity and impeccable timing, that friend gave the bus to us at Christmas so Jonah could have the bus his Great Grandpa made. Jonah absolutely loves it and Grandpa got to see that joy on his face in the bit of time we had together at Christmas.

So, here's to you Grandpa! Thank you. I love you.