The passing of a loved one, my Grandpa

Last week was a sad week. We received news that my Grandpa had passed away. It was nothing sudden since he has been in ill health for awhile now. We all returned to Victoria for his funeral and farewell last Thursday and Friday. Grandpa will be missed dearly but I think he is in a better place now.

Although Tristan will not remember him, Tristan had the privilege to meet his great Grandpa. Our last visit with Grandpa was during Thanksgiving. Tristan was talking at the time and called out to Grandpa. I felt as though for the first time in a very long time, Grandpa was interested and happy to see Tristan and us there. Grandpa smiled and reached his hand out. I was surprised. I'm glad that was my last memory of him. He was happy and alert.

Our trip to Victoria was rough for me. I cried a lot when Grandma passed away over a decade ago but I am much closer to Grandpa. They are the only grandparents I know. I didn't cry as much this time but I find myself in tears whenever I think about Grandpa still. I was worried about how Tristan would react to all the funeral proceedings and that might have controlled my emotions a bit. For the most part, he was well behaved. It's definitely not easy for a 27 month old to keep quiet for such a long time.

It's sad to think that one of the very few times the entire family is together is at a funeral. Our family has grown apart a lot since my Grandma passed away. All my little cousins are now grown up and in high school or university. They all look so different. My aunts and uncles look much older. Many of my family members were meeting Tristan for the first time. We saw each other again but we didn't speak. I remember a long time ago, we were all a much bigger part of each others lives. Sad. At least we were all together now. Grandpa would be happy to see everyone together.