The Building Of A Dream: Saying Goodbye

During the wedding rehearsal my grandfather had gotten up on his own. He fell and fractured his hip. Jen was completely unaware of this until after the wedding. On Saturday we were told that Grandpa would either need surgery or would need to be placed in Hospice. My aunt and mother made the decision with Grandpa to allow the surgery. Keep in mind, Grandpa was 102 years old at the time, and had just suffered a heart attach, so surgery was very risky, but hospice was not for Grandpa, and they knew that and we supported that. From Saturday evening to Sunday and the next couple days each one of Grandpa's grand kids, with the exception of one, who was out of the country. Made time to go see Grandpa. They finally were able to preform the surgery on Tuesday. The surgeon said the at the break was fairly bad, but Grandpa made it through. Two days later though Grandpa went to be with the Lord.
On Wednesday of this same week, Jen and Grant were coming back from their honeymoon, and we needed to be out of the house. Through the past several days, I had taken a number of walks through the streets of this little town I had called home for 25 years. Through the process of 25 years I have met such amazing people. Some of these people I would occasionally take walks with or, would take regular walks with. One person was Nanci Herrera. Nanci and I had walked these streets through rain and snow, frigid temps and soaring heat. Nanci and I had met while I was working for Drake Headstart and she was providing day care for one of my students. We started walking early in the morning, and we continued for walking together until their family moved just outside of town. We would see each other every once and a while, and tell each other how much we missed walking together. One day when we ran into each other, and she told me she had moved back into town. We started walking again, and it was like we had never stopped. Walking with Nanci was always so much fun, because we looked at so many things the same way. We walked by unoccupied homes, and would sneak up to peek in windows. We would walk by other homes and imagine what they looked like on the inside, and the history the walls might have seen. We'd catch whiffs of someone doing some early morning laundry, and skies as they prepared to storm. About a year ago, Nanci and her husband Joe got an opportunity to move back to California, and to the family and friends they had left behind. At the time, Dan and I had been working on buying our place and were anticipating a move of our own. So on my last few days in town Nanci, I walked and took in so many of our sites. I miss our walks Nanci, and I miss you, but I am so glad you are back where you belong, and that we have Facebook to keep in contact with. Though Nanci, Jen and I found our "Cake lady" from her on out Kim Battani of "Kims Cakes".

So many things I had to say good bye to, including the building my kids attended elementary in, and the building I had worked in for 5 years while with Headstart.

Last look at my classroom from the outside.

Window of my classroom. It's now gone.

Mtchellville Elementary- The day the staff went in to demolish

The view from the west. This part of the building is all new.

But, at the end of the week, just a week after my daughter was married, we said our final goodbyes to my grandpa, and this was the hardest goodbye of all. Good richly blessed several people with an amazing couple for years. At the funeral, my cousin Jeff told how he talked to grandpa about his impending surgery. He said "Grandpa you are in a win win situation and no matter what you are surrounded by love. If you wake up from surgery you will be surrounded by lot's of us who love you. and if you wake up in Heaven, you will wake up to see Jesus and Grandma Mary." There is something to be said by living your life where you loved ones "know" where you will spend your eternity. There is a peace that cannot be explained.