Pop Pop

College graduation, May 2006

August has been a trying month.

On August 8th I said goodbye to Keith as he headed to Afghanistan.

August 9th was my dad's 56th birthday, the fourth since he died.

And today, August 21st, my grandpa passed away.

My grandpa, affectionately called Pop Pop, was one of the kindest, fairest and most generous people I've ever known.  The head of our family, he was the patriarch who gave me advice and guidance throughout my life.

And he wasn't just that way towards his family.  Whether you were the waitress bringing him his hamburger and milkshake or a passenger sitting next to him on an airplane, he genuinely cared about you.

Pop Pop was married to my grandma for 60 years, which is such a gift... not just to each other but to our entire family.  They went through their share of hard times, but getting over each of life's hurdles reiterated the lesson that love prevails.

In losing my grandfather, I am also losing his connection to my father.  And while I tend to shy away from religious talk here, I have to say that thinking about what it must have been like when my dad and Pop Pop were reunited makes me so happy.

There are many things I still hope to do in this life and I wish so badly that I could share them with my dad and grandpa.  Instead of focusing on that, I'm trying to be grateful for all of the things in my life that the two of them made possible.

In one of our last phone conversations, as we said goodbye, Pop Pop said, "Thank you for everything, Jen."  But it's the other way around... I'm the one overflowing with gratitude that he was my grandfather, that he was around for 27 years of my life, and that he will watch over me for all of the rest.

(PS - thank you for the kind words on Twitter - y'all are the best.)