my grandfather

[soul alive]

*deep, depressed sigh*

thanks all of you for your prayers for my great-uncle, who passed away last week, and for him during his illness, it is much appreciated.

now i am asking for your prayers about something that has struck much closer to home...

my grandfather passed away yesterday. (he was my great-uncle's brother).

i call to talk to my parents every night, and had been told a couple of nights ago that my grandfather was sick, and suffering from a urinary tract infection. and while i was concerned, i wasn't very concerned. he had been living in a nursing home for over 10 years, had lost almost all touch with the present, and with a good deal of the past as well. he would get sick, get infections off and on, about once or twice a year. even though the nursing home he was in was in my home town, i didn't ever get much of a chance to visit him, so started volunteering there during the summer so i could see him more often (and i will continue to do so in the future). since he had lost touch, he thought i was his eldest daughter, who i happen to look like, but sometimes he would recognize me as his granddaughter.

but when i called to talk with my parents last night, mom told me that he had passed away sometime yesterday. the news impacted me in two different ways - one, i had in the back of my mind been prepared for him to pass away for as long as he had been in the nursing home, since he was not doing well; two, his recent infection was something that infrequently happened, and i was not prepared at all for him to die so quickly after hearing that he was sick. i ended up crying for quite a while.

however, it is not all depressing and sad. it seems that he had a spiritual "coming-to" in his last hours with my father (who was there with him). this is a bit odd, since my father is not very religious at all, and i never remember my grandfather going to church during the years before the nursing home. since my father was up for over 36 hours with my grandfather, he went to bed, and i have not heard the complete story, yet. (i will post it in this thread as soon as i do). clearly, God was at work.

the funeral is being held next friday, so i, and my other cousin in college don't have to miss class, and so the rest of the family, who just got home from my great-uncle's funeral have some time before my grandfather's.

a large part of the reason that this is so hard for me, personally, is the fact that my grandfather was my last living grandparent. both of my grandmothers died before i was born, and my [maternal] grandfather died several years ago.

please pray for my family in this time of sorrow, for thanks that my grandfather really is going to "a better place" and not just the one people tell you about in a lame attempt to make you feel better, and for me, that i may get through this. thanks.

[Rogie]

I'll pray for you and your loved ones, Soul Alive.

[Spiritsword]

I will pray.

[Destroyer2000]

I will pray. My grandfather has been sick for 7-8 years now, had a stroke, and has been rapidly degradng in condition the past 6 months...he has started hallucinating more often and such. Really, I am just waiting to hear the news...then again, he has been a Christian since long before I was born, and was the pastor at several different churches. When he does pass on, he will no longer be in pain and will be walking the streets with God. In a way, that makes me glad, yet the fact that he will be gone saddens me. Soul Alive, that goes for your grandfather, as well. Maybe our grandparents will meet and talk in Heaven? Try to think positive, even though it is hard. PM me if you would like to talk.

[agasfas]

Sorry to hear about that, death is a sad thing to go through. especially having to go through a couple of losts in the past weeks. I'll pray for you and your family. Hopefully God's grace will comfort you and your family memebers in their time of need. Again, sorry to hear that.

[Cedahlia]

I will pray. I can only imagine what it must be like to lose a grandparent. *hugs*

[soul alive]

hey thanks guys. and thanks agasfas for your prayers throughout this entire saga of events. i'm doing pretty good today, but i really could have used a hug yesterday. *hugs Cedahlia back*

i don't know about my grandmother, if she was saved or not, since i never knew her. no one ever really talks about her, because she committed suicide. however, it never hurts to hope. i am glad that my grandfather found peace with God, so very glad.