thanksgiving.

thanksgiving was a little different this year. my dad's dad, my grandpa, passed away on november 20th from a heart attack. he just turned 89 on november 2nd. his funeral was held on friday, november 25th. so 2 of my brother's, eric and peter, and i drove down to utah on thanksgiving day to be there with my grandma and our family. it always amazes me, that even in the midst of sadness and tragedy, being with family can be so much fun. our road trip down was awesome. we were all sad to leave our families in washington on thanksgiving, but were so grateful we were able to go. it also gave me time to reflect on the many things that i am so thankful for in my life. the most important, of course, being my family. all of my family. my loving husband, my sweet little boys, my parents, my brothers, my many wonderful in-laws, my grandparents, my cousins, my aunts and uncles, my dear friends. family is really what life is all about. plus, we got to have thanksgiving dinner at a gas station, and we met some really cool llamas along the way! and it was so great to see so many extended family member's that i haven't seen in years. and of course, it was wonderful to be with my dear grandma, and my parents, to celebrate and remember the life of my awesome grandpa. 

and he really was awesome. he joined the military when he was 17, even though you weren't allowed until you were 18. he was trained as a mechanic for a year in california, then transferred to the philippine's. five months later he was captured by the japanese and spent 42 months as a World War II prisoner of war. he was one of nearly 10,000 prisoners that was forced to trudge in the bataan death march, sent to japan and used as slave labor in the coal mines. he started the war weighing 195 pounds, and came home weighing just 88. he didn't talk much about the war, especially to his grandkids. but as i got older, he would share a little bit more with me each time we got together. i was able to learn even more about what he went through from friends and family over the thanksgiving break. just the fact that he survived such an ordeal, has always been something that has been inspiring to me. he was a brave, courageous, stubborn, funny, and loving man.

i don't deal well with death. i get so emotional and sad. i am overwhelmed by the fact that it will be such a long time before i see these dear people again. but i guess that is that part that we have to hold on to. that we will see them again. it was sort of funny, but when i heard that my grandpa had passed away, i imagined him in heaven being greeted by his family, and the group of soldiers who he became friends with during the war that kept each other alive. he was laughing his big laugh and hugging everyone. i am thankful for his life. his love. his example. his friendship. and most of all, i am grateful that he married my wonderful grandma and became my dad's dad!

i will miss him dearly.