Yesterday I was wrestling with my niece, and as I grabbed her foot and was pretending to put it in my mouth, she in her little four-year-old voice stated, "Grandpa does that to me all the time." The words hit me like a tonne of bricks. Not because of the loss of my dad, but the profound impact loved ones have in our lives. At that moment, I firmly stated to my niece, "As long as you have your aunty, you will ALWAYS have grandpa eating your toes. You will never be without grandpa." Two things struck me at that very moment. I have always said my childlike play is just like my dad, and it really hit home in that moment. The second was my duty as aunt to keep the memories of "grandpa" alive. Not only for my niece and nephew, but my "children" for as short as the four year relationship was for them and my dad.
One never knows the gifts one will receive when losing someone. Since Valentine's Day I have seen so many remarkable gifts left because of my dad. The most recent coming to light yesterday.
I promised myself that I wasn't going to be one of those people that blogged about how miserable this experience has been, and I think that this occasion isn't. It's about the gifts. The gift life, and the passing of a life, offers.
Whether one believes in life hereafter or not, the legacy of the passed loved one lives within those "left behind" as it were. The gift of love is the truest gift we can give. Right down to expressing it the same way a parent did. What could tear families apart should do nothing but bring them closer together, creating new bonds and new strengths. Strength within ourselves we never knew and the courage to continue to love and grow.
I know I take great comfort in being the blessed combination of two amazing parents. A playfulness like that of my dad's, and a strength likened to that of my mom's. A strength in courage and conviction with light-heartedness of a child. I am truly blessed.
Love your families and love yourself, for when all else fails, they are right there beside you.
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