a heart with a twist of lemon

my grandpa mac. i've written about him a number of other times (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). but this one will be the hardest to write. because my grandpa mac is no longer with us.

last sunday, i went up to say goodbye. and monday he was gone. i spent most of the week with the family. helping prepare for saturday's memorial service. a service that was beautiful, complete with a 21 gun salute. the snow was lightly falling as everyone filed into pike lake presbyterian church in duluth, the same church at which my parents were married. so many people filed in that they had to use the basement for overflow. he had an impact on so many people, one of them being me.

i've received so much from my grandpa. like a sense of humor. he always knew how to make light of bad situations. when they brought him into the hospital the saturday before he passed, the nurse asked him "how long have you felt this pain?" my grandpa looked over at grandma and said, "oh, about 52 years."

that's the type of relationship they had during their 52 years of marriage. a loving, light-hearted relationship that kept them together "til death do us part." they were best friends. even at the hospital, when grandpa could barely move, whenever grandma wanted a kiss, he'd work real hard to pucker up. it's that same loving and lasting relationship that i see passed down to my parents. grandpa taught my dad how to treat a lady, and i've witnessed how he treats my mom with the same love, admiration and respect that my grandpa had for grandma. and i'd like to continue that someday.

grandpa grew up on a farm, so he knew the value of good work ethic. and he put me to work. he had me painting the house, the garage, heck even under the porch where no one ever sees. but people notice when you put in the extra effort.

i was also impressed at his way with people. that's probably why he was such a good barber. he gave me my first haircut. he was a fun guy to be around. the day before he died, one of my cousin's asked him for any words of wisdom, and he was conscious enough to say something like, "i've always tried to be kind to people, and that seemed to work out pretty well for me."

those are some good words to live by, thank you grandpa. love you forever.