It's Been 4 Years?

A little bit ago I ran across a random blog written by a woman mourning the decline of her grandfather and how much he had changed as age took over. I experienced the same thing four years ago when I visited my last grandparent for the last time. It stirred in me the feelings to respond with the following:

"I know how you feel. I last visited my grandfather in June 2003. He died in
October 2004 while I was in Iraq. Of course I missed the funeral.

"On my last visit, he was different. Grandma had been gone for 6 years, and the house was not the same. Grandpa was not the same.

"I maintain a website of family recipes
and I asked him for many. I went through his stack and then he told me I
couldn't have them. I would have to go to Kinko's to copy them.

"His personality wasn't the same. He was more irritable. He didn't want all the family coming over for a BBQ, but he was still grandpa and I still love him.

"The last thing we did together before I left for the airport was bake traditional Swedish bread with him from where he grew up. That is the memory I will remember from that trip, and the others will be of childhood."

That was already four years ago this month. My how time flys. I still maintain that website although I haven't updated it in a while. You can find it here.

I love you grandpa and still miss you all the time.