Last night my grandfather passed away. He was 92 years old and I was very close to him. Jeff and I gave Kira her middle name (Lillian) in honor of him. His mother's name was Lillian and he always talked about her with such love and admiration. When he was 14, his father died in a car crash and his mother had to take care of him and his younger siblings by herself. She was also a schoolteacher, something that he was very proud of and to see me follow in her footsteps.
This is obviously not the greatest timing, as I am already on an emotional rollercoaster with taking care of a newborn and the problems we have been having with her. I am very sad that he was not able to meet his first great-granddaughter, but he at least heard about her birth before he passed away. We have been surprised that he has lasted this long, so in a way I was somewhat prepared for him to go. I am very sad that I will not be able to go to PA with my family for the funeral, but I feel like God planned it this way because it would have been too emotional for me and I wouldn't be able to properly care for Kira. It will take some time for me to get past the sadness, but I am at least comforted by the fact that I know he is now home in heaven and with my grandmother.
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Jen - I am so very sorry to hear about your grandfather's passing. I'm sure that he is now delighting in God's presence and perfectly lucid, telling everyone who will listen about his glorious new great-granddaughter and what a blessing she is. :)
ReplyDeleteIf you need a break in the coming weeks (esp. with Jeff back at work), I can come up and watch Kira while you shower/sleep/stare into space/pray/eat/floss/whatever! :) Thursdays and Fridays are especially good for me, so let me know when you want a little pre-weekend R&R.