Grandpa

Last Sunday was father’s day. It will be a day that I will always remember. On our way home from church on Sunday evening I got a call from my sister that my grandpa had passed. It hit me hard. Although we are blessed to know he is in a better place without pain and with his heavenly father on Father’s day, we will defiantly miss him. I have cried quite a few tears and I know there will be many more. I have so many wonderful memories of my Grandpa.

When I picture grandpa, I will always see him in his coveralls working in his shop, I was never really sure what he did out there every day, but that’s where he was, in that giant shop filled with tractors, parts, and junk. Although it is hard to pick my favorite memories with Grandpa, most of my favorite ones happen in the front yard of their farmhouse in Bakersfield. Many afternoons were spent on the giant tire swing that he hung on the large maple tree in the yard with a tractor tire that fit all four of us girls at once. Papa would push us as high as he could, two woven lawn chairs were set up on the side of the house where Grandma would watch while enjoying the light breeze.

If we were lucky and ask nicely, Grandpa would hold us on his lap and let us “drive” the big tractors across the field. My first time behind the wheel was driving Grandpa’s pick-up truck across their driveway; my little feet could not even touch the pedals.

Some weekends, Grandpa and Grandma would take Christy, Julie, Bekah and myself camping in their old Winnebago RV; Just us, no parents.

But my all time favorite memory of my Grandpa would be his large brown leather chair that sat in their living room. As soon as he would get up from his seat, we would all run to sit in his chair. There we would sit, and wait, and giggle. Sure enough, Grandpa would come back to his chair and we would giggle some more. He would growl at us, more giggles. Then he would grab us by our feet, sometimes two of us at once, and pull us from his chair followed by tickles and of course, more giggles. The next time he stood up, we would do it again!

So many great memories of our grandpa, so many stories to tell. There was one thing that no one could deny, Grandpa loved his grandkids, and we will always remember the time we had with him.