Pappous

We find ourselves in a house of sadness today. My wife’s father passed away last night. When my brother-in-law called to give my wife the news this morning, she burst into tears. It’s not so much that it was unexpected, it’s just we didn’t know exactly when it would happen. And even if you expect it, it's still your father.

Troy was worried about my wife, seeing her crying uncontrollably, but not really understanding. He kept asking her if she was okay and asking me why mama was crying. How do explain to a two-year old that his grandfather is gone and isn’t coming back? How do you tell him that he’ll never really get to know him personally, only through other people’s memories? I lost my grandfather when I was about five or six. I have a few memories of my own, but not many. It definitely wasn’t enough time to get to know him. And I’m sad that Troy will have the same experience now.

My wife was able to travel to Greece last week to spend at least a couple of days with her father. She left on Thursday, and he passed away the next day. It’s like he waited to spend time with her, and then he was ready.

I’m glad she got that time with him to say goodbye and get closer. I remember when my stepfather passed away, I was stuck at the St. Louis airport waiting to catch a flight back to Texas. My mother called to tell me not to rush, because it was too late. I got to be there with my mother and brother, but I never truly got to say goodbye. At least she got closure, and now she can focus on healing and remembering the good times.