A letter to your loved one...A letter to my grandfather

I know this is a little late but I have been writing this on my runs for four days now and I think I am finally ready to put in on paper.  This week we were to write a letter to our significant other.  Well as many of you know I am a single girl so I had no idea who I would write this letter to.  I thought about all my best friends that have been there for me so much over the last two years, I thought about my family and I even thought about an open letter to the people I work with since I do spend most of my time with them.  But none of them ever felt right.  And its crazy because I have written letters like this to them in the past.  Before every deployment I write a letter to the people I care about so if something happens to me there is nothing that goes unsaid and they have something to always read and remember me by.  Yes I know its morbid but its something I always do and they go somewhere safe so they have be given out.  Well every time I have come home so I have always shredded them.   So I thought this would be easy and it turned out to be anything but.  Then on Tuesday I lost my grandfather from this earth and gained another angel looking down on me.  So I decided to write one to my dear grandpa….

Grandpa,

First let me tell you I am not sad that you are in heaven.  I am happy the last six months of you life were not how you wanted to spend them.  I cannot imagine what it was like to spend most of your time in a bed and not being able to move around on your own.  I also know that are now by grandma’s side and you are both whole again. 

What I am sad for is not bring able to spend time with you anymore, I am sad that my father has now lost both of his parents, I am sad that one day when I have children they won’t meet you and I am sad that I can’t pick up the phone and just call you.

I know that growing up we did not always live close by. But every time we saw each other you always made it count.  I remember sitting on your lap and you tickling me saying you were going to take away my “giggle-sticks” There was the time in Texas when Audrey and I were so sick but before you and grandma left you read us one more book and gave us great big hugs and said you were not afraid of our coodies. 

When you and grandma came to Germany you guys loved walking with us.  But I do owe you an apology.  I was so mad at you for being sick and because of that we did not make it to the Cinderella castle.  As an adult I realize it was not your fault and it is actually my parents fault for not making time for us to go before we left Germany like they promised (only kidding dad)

I can never forget all the summer spend at your house.  Looking back I sometimes wonder how you kept your sanity.  But I loved how we had the park down the street and the huge back yard.  I know everyone always told us that the backyard was not part of your property but I never understood that.  We would hang out on the deck drawing playing card game and running around the backyard.  If I had only one picture to describe my childhood I would probably just have a picture with all the “kids” playing that yard. 

Speaking about cards, I will never forget how you and grandma taught us how to play rummy and solitaire.  To this day every time I play rummy I think of you and smile.  Also, to this day I have solitaire on my phone and hate to admit I actually play it. 

There are so many more stories I could talk about…like how you loved grandma showed be how a man was suppose to love a women…like how once we moved to Indiana I loved that you came down for all the “important” events.  But there is one thing that bonds us together forever.  It ‘s serving in the Army during a time of war.  I always knew as a kid you were in the Army but I never really knew what you did or when.  I will never forget calling you for Christmas while deployed for the first time in the Army.  And you started telling me stories about your service during WWII.  It was amazing to hear them.  They were stories I never heard as a child and I know that deep down you were telling me because for the first time we had a bond that few people share and I could understand what happened.  And that was just the start of the “war stories” on both our parts.  Every time we talked or I got to visit we kept telling each other our stories.  What I reflect on the most is how when you boil down to it Soldiers during war never change.  That we lived the same things and played the same games. 

But by far my favorite memory happened the Christmas after I returned from AssCrackaStan.  You asked me to come visit you in my dress uniform because you never saw me all “dressed up”  So I made sure my uniform was updated and took in home for the trip.  I changed and came to your room.  Your eyes lit up when I walked into the room.  You were so happy to see me.  We got you in the wheelchair and wanted to go to the front to take pictures in front of the mantle and tree.  As I rolled you thru the hallways you said to everyone,  “This is my granddaughter and she just came home from the war.  She is in the Army.”  I was never so proud.  Then we were in the front room you grabbed my hand while we were taking pictures.  At that moment I felt how proud you were of me and I will never forget.