Year in Review...Entry #5

Loss

This year has also been accompanied by some sad events as well. In February I lost my Grandma, Connie Perkins. In October, Janelle's grandfather Bob George left us 2 weeks prior to his surprise 80th birthday celebration.

Grandma Connie was a major influence in my life, she was the one who taught me to love baseball, One of my fond childhood memories was the 1989 world series between the Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants, Grandma and I were huge Jose Canseco fans (at the time) and she made sure I got to her house for every game possible. When I got the news from my dad that she had suffered a major stroke, I rapidly gathered my family and got up to Salt Lake. At the hospital we were told that the woman we loved was gone, and though the machines could keep her alive, she would likely never recover. The next day, my Grandpa, Dad, Uncle, my brother Davin and myself gave her a blessing letting her know it was okay for her to go. One of the sweet moments of my life was watching my Grandpa (who had kept to the edge of the room until this point) approach my Grandma and take her hand. As he approached the monitors surged and I saw her heartrate jump, then a moment later I watched everything go down to zero. Interestingly, the loss of my dear grandma reinforced my testimony of the ressurection. I physically saw the difference when her spirit left her body.

Nellie's Grandpa George was approaching his 80th birthday, as I've mentioned, and our whole family was planning on flying up to be there for his party. I got a phone call at work from Nellie telling me he had passed away. I was surprised, but until she told me, I don't think it had really hit her. Although She and I have only been married for 5 and a half years, I had a deep love for Bob George. He was someone I liked almost immediately, he had a great sense of humor and treated me like a grandson right away. My first trip to Camp George, the fall after our wedding, he gave me my nickname: Trevador, and I always felt like I belonged from that moment on. After a drive through the night, we attended his funeral in Kennewick Washington. I learned a lot about my grandfather-in-law that I didn't know, and it made me sad to know I would have to wait longer to get to know him better. We were just happy to know he got to meet both of our children before he passed.

Loss is an interesting thing, I personally love funerals. I can't remember leaving a funeral without having a profound sense of urgency to accomplish more and to love better. Death is not a scary thing, just a sad thing. Death is a temporary farewell that rarely comes when you are prepared for it. I'm grateful that the grandparents we have lost this year were in a good position in their lives and I'm sure they are happy on the other side of the veil.