Grandpa

You know the people in your life that you love being around? The ones that make you feel comforted, loved, accepted, validated, and important all at the same time? The ones who listen attentively when you talk with them, who talk with you and not at you? Instinctively, you know you can trust and rely on them if needed? To add a cherry on top, they make you laugh when you are sad? 

My grandpa was/is one of those people in my life. He passed away last Thursday after battling cancer for a long time.  There is a hole in my heart now that he is gone, but when I think about him, that hole is instantly filled with love, gratitude, and happy memories of him. I felt his presence in his home after he died, I felt his presence at his funeral, and I can still feel his love from beyond the grave.  

One of my most recent memories of Grandpa involved Ella. Grandpa was a very tall man, and his hands were gargantuan. Whenever a new grandchild or great-grandchild was born, he'd always put his thumb next to their forearm. Inevitably, his thumb would be the same size or longer than the baby's forearm. We took Ella to see him and Grandma when she was one month old. In keeping with tradition, he compared her arm to his thumb, as you'll see in the pictures below:

 

Several people have mentioned Ella's doll-like features to me. I think she looks especially doll-like in the first picture, a petite baby in the lap of her very tall, large-framed great-grandfather. The second picture clearly shows his long thumb, which trumps Ella's forearm in length, and is almost the same width. (Thankfully, she has gotten a lot bigger since these photos were taken).

Every time I look at these pictures, I smile and tear up at the same time. I am blessed to have had my wonderful grandpa in my life for more than three decades. Thankfully, I will have many fond memories of him to think about until the future day when I'll see him again.