Losing Pa

Last Thursday, only about 5 weeks since his initial diagnosis, my sweet grandfather entered heaven. It has been one of the hardest things I have ever experienced as I grieve the loss of a man who exemplifies so much of the person I want to be. He lived an incredible life of 81 years with 62 of those being married to my precious grandmother. He was kind and compassionate, strong and determined. His standards and beliefs never changed despite the world's views around him. He exemplified what it means to be a servant, always putting God and others before yourself. He lived a simple life, never needing the things that the world says makes you a success. I am so sad that my children will never really get to know the man he was and learn from him the way I did. I will do my best to tell them the fantastic stories of my childhood that he played such a great part in and will try to live my life more like his and less like I normally do. Our hearts are heavy because we lost someone so precious and unique that day, but boy did heaven get a great one! Our comfort is that he is officially "cancer free" now and he is finally home with so many of his friends and family. Despite the sadness, I still can say that God is so good. His plan is perfect and great in every single thing.