Saturday, December 15, 2012

Precious Life

With the many recent shootings, everyone is being a little more reflective and appreciative of their loved ones. People are making public declarations about how they plan to squeeze their babies a little harder each day. The lesson is very clear: life can be taken at any moment.

Unfortunately, this lesson hit our house directly this weekend when D's grandpa passed away. At 89, GH lived a long good life. He raised amazing children, provided guidance to a number of grandchildren and got to play with his great-grandchildren. He embraced me as a part of the family and always had a good story to share.

I am glad that the last time I saw GH I was giving him and grandma a ride home and we were able to engage in a 45-minute conversation. Grandma fell asleep in the backseat. We talked a little about a lot, and I feel lucky that will be my last memory of him.

It will make the holiday season a little sadder this year, but I hope that we can all look back at the fond memories of a great man and smile and laugh, too. Life is precious, whether you're a small child or an old man. While the death of someone who got to live a long and fulfilling life is definitely much easier to understand than a child who had life ripped from them violently and unfairly, all life is so very, very precious.

Love you, GH!

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