I was washing the breakfast dishes this morning and all of a sudden, there she was, my three and a half year old granddaughter Elsie Rose, just watching and expecting a conversation. So I told her about how excited I was for Christmas, when her cousins would be here having fun and opening presents. I told her a little about her aunt and uncle, and about how excited the whole family is to be sharing Christmas with her Mom and Dad and Meema and PopPop. And I told her how sad I was that she wasn’t with us but how happy I was that she was in a beautiful and loving place with Jesus. And then she danced away, and I was reminded of just how much I missed the granddaughter I never met.
Grief pops up at the strangest times and places, and in the strangest ways. I’m learning to accept it however it appears, and realize that it never ends, it just diminishes and becomes a part of you over time. I’m learning to accept these little moments when they happen, always with a few tears, knowing that we’ll finally get to meet some day down the road, for the first time.
From your PopPop … hugs, kisses, and Merry Christmas, Elsie Rose!