Have you ever wondered?
Have you ever been to the point where you feel like you a forgetting someone? Not like "dangit I can't remember that person's name". But actually forgetting someone that you love. It sounds horrible I know, but how should a person go around not doing that.
My grandfather passed away October 30, 2005. And his death has been a huge struggle for me. I remember going to my friend's wedding on October 29th and getting back at like 130 or 2 in the morning. I had to work at 1130 in the morning so I was hoping to get some kind of sleep that morning. But I was woken up by a phone call at 7 am. It was my mom telling me that my grandpa was in the hospital dying. I can't even tell you how I felt at that moment. It was like I had just been slapped in the face and tears were streaming down my face. And all I could worry about was that I had to work and how was I going to find someone to work for me at 7 am on a saturday morning. It was so discouraging. I almost didn't care but yet I did. I thought to myself screw it. I will just leave without caring. But no I went to work to try to find someone to work for me. I had tears sitting in my eyes just about ready to pour out. People asked me if I was okay and all I could say was NO and walk faster as though if I were to walk faster things might get better. Then everything somewhat fell into place...God provided..I didn't see it then but I see it now. I went home rushed around getting clothes to go home. I got into my car and left even though I left my roommates bunny at home by itself without feeding it. I didn't care. All I wanted was to get to the hospital..an hour and 1/2 away to see my grandpa. I never expected that he wouldn't really be concious. I expected him to be the same way I alway saw him.
God provided again. He got me there, my grandpa was still there. God hadn't taken him yet. I sat with him, held his hand...watched him die. For a day and a half. I was by his side...only gone for a little time. It was hard to sit there and wonder when God was going to take him, and why he was going to take him. I knew he was in pain, but why now..why not later. My grandpa wasn't going to experience anything that I would do in the future. He wasn't going to see me graduate, get married, have kids and he didn't even get to see further my desire for God.
I wanted him to aknowledge that I was there so badly. I didn't even get to say goodbye to him. If only my mom had told me that they took him to the hospital the day before. i could have seen him instead of going to my friends wedding. But my mom didn't want to ruin that day for me. All I got to witness was for one day he actually held my hand. That may have been the only time I remember ever holding my grandpa's hand for that long. It was hours and hours. I didn't ever want to let go. It just wasn't fair. why couldn't God have waited? I just kept waiting for him to open his eyes and say something to me. tell me that he loved me. i knew he did...he told me every time i saw him.
But God provided again....my cousin couldn't understand herself, why God would put him in so much pain and just make him suffer. I had no idea what to tell her. I just was hoping that God was having my grandpa hold on for my sister jennifer to get home from minnesota. Even though i didn't know what to say, my mom did. And as soon as she told her what a loving and caring and amazing God, God was, my grandpa died. I don't know if God was just waiting for that to happen, because He knew that my grandpa prayed for my cousin everyday. I don't know. But I just see that as a blessing now. It was hard holding his hand as he died. and seeing him in the room by himself afterwards. Having that picture embedded into my mind as the only way I remember my grandpa is not fun. I remember other things...but the sight of seeing him in that hospital room is the one that finds itself at the front of my mind whenever i think of him.
But God knew what he was doing when he gave me all the people who care about me. He knew that I was going to be going home to an empty house. He knew my roommates were in a different state. He knew I needed someone who would comfort me. And I am so thankful for that amazing guy whom I made call me and talk to me about anything but what was on my mind. I am thankful for my roommates who hugged me and loved me all they could even when I wanted to push them away and pretend all this wasn't happening. I thank God for my friend Alex. He made me feel so much better that monday morning after everything had happened. I went to work and he didn't care that I couldn't do it. That I didn't even want to do it. All I wanted to do was cry and he let me and he comforted me.
so why does it seem like i am forgetting him? I really don't know. It may just be easier. I tend to think that if I don't think about him I won't remember that horrible weekend. I even struggle going home and seeing my grandma home all alone. And then I think to myself why can't I do it if she can do it? Maybe I am not strong enough. I just hate the fact that sometimes I forget that he is dead. That he will never be home when I go home. Maybe that is why I don't like going home anymore. I thought about this in class yesterday and it scared me. I don't want to forget about him and I don't want to do the same thing to my grandma if I don't go home to see her.
Sometimes I try to think about the times before he died. For instance there were so many times that I told my grandparents that I would come home the next weekend and then I had to postpone till the next weekend...I did that 3 weeks in a row leading up to his death. the last time I saw him before he died was almost a whole month. I don't know what I was thinking. If only I had gone to see him I would have felt better about not being able to say goodbye. I didn't think it was going to be as hard as it ended up being, because two weeks before, I had found out that he had an abdominal aneurysm that had grown. But then they took tests and found out that it hadn't grown so he wouldn't have surgery. I was ready for him to die then. Or at least I thought. But obviously I never thought the day would come. And now I feel like I am losing him all over again.