Saying Goodbye...

My father-in-law passed away yesterday afternoon after a brief battle with cancer (after winning the initial fight many years ago with prostate cancer). I take heart in knowing that he was comfortable and not feeling pain in the end and that he didn't have to go down the long, hard road that was in front of him if he had recovered from the initial surgery to remove his bladder.

It's odd to have to say good-bye to people that you feel like will be around forever. Just days ago we were debating on whether to send the hubby up now or to wait for him to be better. That's how sudden it turned. Yesterday was a tough day, but I have definitely spent some time remembering the good times spent with Bob (Robert Lynn Grimes - 67 years old at time of death). He was far from being a perfect person (I mean, who is?!?) but he was a GOOD person underneath it all. He was a firm believer in God and a true scholar of the Bible. That was his preferred way of spending free time...in study of the Word. And he truly knew SO much about it. I also can't help but think about the impact he had on others outside of the immediate family. He and my mother-in-law spent many years running a family home-based day care center and together they "raised" a lot of kids. Many of them that they thought of as practically their own and continued to keep in touch with long after through their own marriages and having kids and families.

My hubby is doing okay. He landed in Alaska at midnight their time along with our oldest son, Robert - named so after his grandpa. They are enjoying the time with the family there and I'm sure will spend many hours laughing and crying as they drift through memories of him.

I take heart that he finally got to live his dream in Alaska. He moved there under not the greatest of circumstances but bonded with nature and then his wife followed sometime after and together they bought a piece of land and built a small cabin where they could retire together and spend free time fishing, hunting, reading and just loving each other.

He will be missed by all of us and we will not forget the impact he made on each of us. And I hate that losing someone is the time that we are reminded how important those relationships are. Cherish those around you and tell them - but even more so - SHOW them everyday! We don't know how much time we are given, so live everyday, love everyday, laugh everyday.