Poppy

Most of you probably know that I have been living with my grandma the past 5 months to help take care of her after my poppy died.  Pop's death was very hard for me.  We were very close.  I think about him everyday, especially living under his roof.  I had a panic attack today because I couldn't find the journal that I wrote the speech I gave at Pop's funeral in.  I needed to read it again. Obviously, I found it and decided to write it in my blog.  Since I have a tendency to lose things I figure the internet will make it permanent. 
This is what I said:
My Poppy was very special to me.  I know that there is no way I can express properly the love I have for this man in a speech but I am going to do my best to honor this incredibly important man.
Poppy or Poppa is what all of his grandkids called him and in my opinion it was probably his favorite title.  Pop loved all his grandchildren unconditionally.  This unconditional love is what I will remember most about him.  You could feel his whole being light up the second one of us walked in the room.  My pop would do anything in the world for me and he proved it on many occasions.  Everytime I ran out of gas he was always there to come save me.  He traveled through many blizzards to come to choir concerts to listen to me sing, but those are just examples of his dedication.  The proof of his love came from the way he looked at me and the way he played with my children, and the way he would tell you the most rediculous stories just to get you to smile.  Poppy wasn't the kind  of man who said "I love you," but you alway knew without question that he did. 
The bond I share with my grandparents is much tighter than most people get to experience and I feel very fortunate to have been able to love and be loved by such beautiful people.  They have taught me many lessons about what is truly important in life.
Poppy was the most generous man I know.  He always gave without expectation.  Whether it was a roll of quarters, or the candy Gram and Pop always had out on the coffee table, or the $20 he had in his billfold that he insisted you needed more than he did for gas. 
Poppy was most generous with his time.  He would do anything for anyone if you asked him to.  Spending time with his family was more important to him than anything in the world. 
I asked my daughter, what she would remember most about Poppy and she said, " I will remember that he was the best Pop in the world."  I asked her why and she said, "because he is so funny."  I asked her if she could tell me why she thought he was so funny and she said," Here, let me give you an example."  She then proceeded to tell me a story.  Tanner and Ella were over at Gram and Pops and Tanner found a pair of Pop's underpants.  Tanner asked Pop why he had left his underpants laying around and he explained to Tanner that he was using the underpants as a rag.  So in true Ella and Tanner style they started chanting "Put em on, Put em on!  So Pop took the underpants and put them on over his clothes and wore them all around the house.

Ella was very concerned about me telling that story because she didn't want Pop to be embarrased.  Pop, would never be embarrassed... he was doing his favorite job. Being the best Pop in the world.  I have a million Pop sotries that I will forever hold close to my heart.  I am so grateful for the time and special memories that my kids were able to share with him as well. 

I am not going to lie to you.  I am mad I don't get to spend more time with Poppy.  I miss him so bad it hurts.  I wanted him to watch Tanner and Ella grow up.  I can't imagine a life that doesn't include him.  I will always cherish the memories and the love I felt from him.  I will think about him everytime I eat a garden fresh tomatoe, and everytime I drive by a tool store, if I ever get home made ice cream or have a peach shake, or see a ball game. I will think about him every time there is a special moment in my childrens life that I wish I could share with him. 

I couldn't have asked for better grandparents.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being there for me and for simply being you.

I love you forever.