I am behind on my blogging but I just attended my Grandpa Parry's viewing and I have a few thoughts that I don't want to lose. I thought I would write them down before I had to get back to my life and time slipped away. As I get older, time has become something that seems to move at warp speed and if I don't take an opportunity when it's there, it seems to disappear. My Grandpa passed away last Friday. He hadn't been feeling well for quite some time, but it was still a bit unexpected. In fact, just two weeks before he was out on the golf course with his son. He didn't suffer long. Over the last week, I have reflected on my interactions with my Grandpa throughout my life and tried to remember my best times with him. I actually can't really think of any bad times with him. I know without a miniscule of doubt that he LOVED me. Truly. He didn't have to say it or tell me often, but he worried about me, knew me, and cared what happened to me.
Some of my first memories are of him reminding me to wear a helmet as he was helping me start a motorcycle for me to ride. I was only 8. I remember him cooking steak on his grill outside (burgers for the little kids!) and being proud that he could provide steak for his entire family. And what a treat it was. I remember watching countless softball games with him pitching. I specifically remember when I was young and him telling us that we could cheer for him as long as we didn't call him "Grandpa"! He was too young to be a grandpa to all us crazy kids!
Some of my best memories involve the sports I played. He loved to watch his kids and grandkids play sports and rarely missed a game. He cheered me on in softball, basketball, track, and volleyball. I remember in high school he once told me I had a great jump shot and I should use it more. It felt so awesome that he would notice. I wasn't a great basketball player, but he saw some potential and instead of criticizing me, he chose the one thing he noticed that was great. That's who he was. He chose to see the good in people. He chose to look beyond the mistakes and disappointments and find the hope and the beauty in people. He knew we weren't perfect, and he loved it that way.
My clearest memories start in college. My grandfather once drove to Coeur d'Alene from Idaho Falls to watch me play volleyball -- actually he did it a few times -- but once he made it in 6 hours so he wouldn't miss any of the game. There was no speed limit in Montana at the time and he made the best of those long roads in the middle of nowhere. It was only 18 years ago, so he was in his 70's while driving at breakneck speeds. He didn't want to miss the first serve....and he didn't :)
When I started having kids, we lived near him. My kids were the first little kids in awhile to live near them. He didn't want to be called Great Grandpa because it sounded so "old"! He wanted to be called Grandpa Great. He told the kids his name every chance he got and we fostered that name until the kids knew him only as their Grandpa Great. He loved it. And they loved him.
Timberlyn did not want to come tonight to the viewing. We tried to make her but it wasn't going well. I asked her why she didn't want to come. She said, "Grandpa Great is alive. He is living in heaven and I don't want to see his dead body." She is right. He is alive, sharing the gospel, working hard, and reuniting with his sweet wife and daughters who went before him. He is preparing the way for his 100+ descendants and their spouses to live together for eternity. I know he won't give up until all of us are with him. I will miss you terribly Grandpa. Thank you for living your life so that we could be so proud of you. Thank you for supporting me, teasing me, and loving me. I can't wait to see you again and catch up.
