In Loving Memory

My grandfather, Poppop, passed away two years ago today. I still can't believe it's been two years since he went Home to be with the Lord. There are some days that the pain is still so fresh from the loss and other days that I have grown more accepting of his passing. One thing is for sure: I miss him.

I miss being able to call him, to hear his voice on the other line. I miss his jolly laugh when he'd get tickled about something. I miss telling him about the boys. Oh, how proud he would be of Cody playing the violin! I regret the fact that he never got to meet Caden, and that Caden will not know him. I miss talking with him about Husker football, music, and life. I miss his wisdom about all the things he knew about. I miss hearing him reminisce about the past. I miss the days of going to visit him in Nebraska, sitting around his kitchen table, or looking across at him sitting in his favorite chair in the living room.

And yet, as much as I miss his physical presence, his legacy will live on. It will live on in our memories and in our hearts. It will live on in pictures, in his personal belongings that we are so privileged to have, and in the video footage we took while he was still with us here on earth. He will live on in each of us. He will live on in the legacy he leaves behind....the legacy of his love and our family.

Last year I planted a pin oak tree in his honor. Today, I took the above picture, which I plan on doing every year at this time. I want to watch it grow through the years and remember how small it was when we first planted it. The winter was hard on this little tree. The weight of the snow and ice caused the tree to nearly snap in half during those brutal days, but the tree, with a little help, is learning to stand tall again. It reaches for the sky and remembers how to look up.

I think that's exactly what Poppop would want us to do today.

I love you Poppop. I can't wait until we meet again.