As I sit here in Orlando, Florida I have had a lot to time to reflect and sort through my mind looking for answers to the future. It was just a few weeks ago when I left New Orleans, LA and rode here to be with my grandparents in a tough time for the family.
THE MEMORIAL: Grandma Vi – Battling brain cancer and advanced Parkinson’s disease my grandmother’s health has been in decline for sometime and becoming exponentially worse with radiation and treatments. At 82 years old she has led a long and successful life working as a nurse and caring for the people in the community she grew up in. My grandfather and her met in a skating rink 60 years ago and managed a strong marriage for 58 of those. She was an incredible woman and I’m fortunate to have known her. Unfortunately last Thursday we were told by hospice that she didn’t have much longer here with us and she passed the next morning. Her memory will live on through the hearts she touched and the relationships she built through her kindness.
THE HERO: Pap Pap Bill – In this time of mourning I have been introduced to a whole new side of my grandfather. Being near him in the days leading up to and those that followed her passing he has opened up to me and solidified his place in my mind as an icon, a hero. Most notably was the stories built around his 33 years serving in the US Army and US Army Reserves (1958-1991). Drafted in 1958 and stationed in Germany for his first stint and transferring to the Reserve component back home in eastern Ohio he was able to retire as a combat engineer schoolhouse instructor.
THE CLARITY: A lot has happened in the last couple weeks and I try to take from every situation and apply it to my future. I’ve reaffirmed my belief that life is a gift that we have little control and the importance of being good to those around us. Additionally I’ve taken notice to the role the military played in my grandparents lives even after my grandfathers retirement from the service. If not for his time served and military insurance the treatments my grandmother received would not have been possible. In a sense they were able to sacrifice his time and military commitment during their marriage for more time together in the final years of her life. All of this has reminded me of my role in the reserve component of the military and the benefit of maintaining good standing and sticking it out. Remember, learn something from everything.
(Main Photo L to R: Me, Pap Pap Bill, My Mother, Grandma Vi 03July2017 Wellsville, Ohio)
(Addtl Photo: Pap Pap Bill with his 1974 BMW R 90)