Monday, April 18, 2011

93

Today my family celebrated the life of an amazing man, my grandpa, Dwight King. He passed away this past Tuesday at the age of 93. Obituary

Honestly, today was harder than I expected. It was beautiful but rough. I didn't expect to get so emotional. Grandpa had been in a care center for the last few years, his memory was not great, he could hardly hear, and he was no longer mobile. Though it was sad to see him like this we knew he wouldn't be around for too much longer. When my Dad called to tell me he had passed away I was sad but mostly resigned. Being too young to appreciate my time with him when he was functional and his continued deterioration made it hard for me to feel close to him by the time he died. I was initially disappointed that I wasn't more sad about his passing. Thankfully, the funeral service and picture displays helped me to remember the times I was close to him and who he was before his body let him down. As my dad spoke about his father and his brothers shared their thoughts I was overwhelmed by the muddled memories I have of my grandpa and how their words of respect and admiration rang true of the man I remembered.

I have the most amazing family. Just watching and listening to everything done and said today reminded me of that. There aren't many families that are as close as ours but the bond between my dad and his seven brothers is so impressive. They are a sight to see when they are together. Every one of them is over six feet tall, they are loud, obnoxious, and stubborn. All of them are brilliant, hardworking, and hilarious. But they are so different and that's what makes their love and support of each other so great. My beautiful cousin said something to me that totally struck a chord. We were talking about how we wish we could've been closer with grandpa the last few years and she said how the best way we can feel like we know grandpa is to recognize the way his sons, our dads, have lived their lives. I can't express how much this reminder means to me. My dad is such an amazing person as are my uncles and when I think about the things I do know and remember of my grandpa and how much greater those attributes would be when he was raising my dad I have a greater understanding of what we lost this week.

I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. The knowledge that I will get to see my grandpa again and the grandma I never knew. That I still have the opportunity to really get to know them. I can't imagine losing the people I love and not having that reassurance to bring peace and joy. I love my family and am thankful I get to spend the rest of eternity with them and my Heavenly Father.

I love you Grandpa!
It's good to be King :)



1 comment:

  1. This is such a sweet tribute to your grandfather. He sounds like a sweet man. I hope you are doing well in this time of mourning - especially with finals. (so excited to have found your blog!)

    ReplyDelete