A week ago, on April 3, my Grandpa Ed passed away. We have been fortunate to live with him and my Grandma for almost a year. About ten years ago my grandpa suffered from a stroke. After a stay in the hospital he went home. Since then, we always wondered how much longer Grandpa would hold out. I'm so grateful that he hung on all that time.
My boys have loved getting to know Grandpa. Joe and Grandpa played a game with this big feather. They would take turns hiding it from each other, and then play "keep away" with it. The boys would race next to Grandpa's seat at the bar and he would try and reach out and touch them. In the last year those were some of the times I saw Grandpa the happiest. He would remind me when the boys and I came upstairs, "He's a fine boy." He said that about all of my boys. It was a good reminder on those days when the boys were acting a little crazy.
One of the things Joe said when he found out Grandpa died was, "who's going to play with the feather with me now?" Joe's at a very curious age, so naturally he had a lot of questions. He wanted to see Grandpa's body, so we took him upstairs. He asked if he could walk, and we explained his body didn't work anymore and that his spirit was with Jesus. We were able to get a lot of teaching moments in with all of his questions.
The burial was especially neat because my Grandpa served in the military. First there was a three-volley salute. A rifle party shot three rounds into the air. Then one of the servicemen played
Taps on the bugle. After the servicemen folded the flag they presented it to my Grandma and said "this flag is presented on behalf of a grateful nation and the United States Army as a token of appreciation for your loved one's honorable and faithful service."
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| The rifle party |
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| Folding the flag |
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| The pallbearers |
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| My Grandma |
