Love you forever...

Sometimes the simple things in life are the ones that give you the most enjoyment. And sometimes you want to stop and freeze those moments, those tender moments that you know you can never get back. These are the memories I can’t stop thinking about and keep reliving in my mind. The simple pleasures and time spent with my Grandfather are constantly playing on loop in my memory.

Grampy was by far one of the wittiest, funniest and most charming people I have ever known and loved. He could spend hours telling jokes, none of which EVER got old and I usually never heard the same one twice. He was a dancing machine, with smooth moves that most people would be jealous of. Many of my visits with him involved storytelling and of course the jitterbug and dancing to Glenn Miller’s “In The Mood”. Since I was little, Grampy always joked that when I got married he'd "pinch my cheeks" while walking down the aisle, but thankfully for me he changed his mind and instead we did a jitterbug. It was a moment together that I will ALWAYS cherish and have to watch on video over and over.

I know now that no matter how much time you’re given, you can never prepare yourself for losing someone close to you and you can’t always heal the cancer that takes over their body. But what you can do is honor their memory and trust their spirit lives on and hope to encounter it through the simple things in life. I plan to keep alive the memories of my Grampy and share with my son some of his greatest qualities and let him know how much he was loved even before he was born.

I wish Gramps was here to pick strawberries with my son, take him ice fishing, drive him around in the Jeep, give him endless Klondike bars, and teach him how to garden. I know he will never be able to share these pleasures with him, but I KNOW that Grampy will be watching him grow and looking out for him in other ways. I also know that he has passed on his character to his own sons and especially on to my own Dad. Our son will get to know him through his own Grampy Adams, and for that I am thankful.

Grampy, thank you for the lifetime of memories you shared with me and thank you for loving us all like every Grandfather should. You always make me smile and I’ll miss dancing with you and especially miss your hugs & kisses. I will honor your memory forever. And as you told Grammy: "i'll love you forever".

Forever & Always,
mama j

Interesting note: My Dad will be 50 years old when our son is born and Grampy was 50 years old when I was born. Can’t wait to compare the photo.