Grandpa died last year, a week beofre the 10th anniversary of Dad's brain tumor surgery, and the day of my provincial curling... I said I'd throw the last rock for him, told him I loved him, and that I'd see him that night, and when I threw the rock, cleared the house and won the game, Dad walked in with tears running down his cheeks and sai that grandpa died in the hospital... I locked myself in my room for the next 3 days until his funeral, and took all of the ribbons that my cow, and his favourite (he called her the sweetie) won, my plaque I won with her, and placed them in his coffin with him. Dad said that he'd never seen anyone do something liek that and that if grandpa would say something he wouldn't be able to because he'd be in tears. Afterwards, people talked to me and when my grandma came over, she sat beside me on the bench, and told me about the greatest phone call he ever got... July 2 1992 Dad called him from the hospital, to tell him that his first grandson was born, me, and grandpa burnt rubber to the hospital to see me. When he got there, he was looking through the nurserey window, and whenever someone would walk by, he'd tell them, look at him, he's my grandson! He was always talking about his grandson, and when the next ones came, he still diddnt seem to enjoy the spotlight as much as he did when I was born. He wanted to go hunting with me when I was old enoguh and he never got to. She said that before he died, he said that he wanted me to take him on one more trip... to Hudson bay, and elk hunting, with his gun. When he died he said I was supposed to hunt one year with that gun, and get him his last buck. I did that l;ast year, but when we went for a doe, and my first deer, and i missed 2 broadside shots at 20 yards, dad was crying again, and I was, and he whispered in myear just as it started to rain, "I think you made grandpa laugh so hard that he wet his pants" and we were laughing, and crying the whole night... when we called home and sent pictures using a friends computer, we were all crying so we had to explain it... I loved every minute of it because he was with me the whole time, even though he wasn't there and able to slap me on the back with a good job, I knew he was there, because he said he would always be there. Now I realized that those memories were more precious than anything in thew world, and make sure you treasure them as much as you can.
Remember, even though they aren't beside you physically, they are always in your heart, and smiling down at you.