My grandparents: the world's greatest people
For my family, the death of my grandfather was a relief. He had been suffering for many months and he needed rest. My grandfather loved God and even became an ordained minister in later years, so he's in a place with no suffering or pain. He was greatly loved by my family and his presence will be sorely missed.
For me, the dealing with my grandfathers death over the next few weeks will be very difficult. I loved him very much and considered him one of the best men I will ever know. A grandchild always looks past their grandparents faults and as such, he was the epitome of perfection to me.
Now normally, I believe in holiday equality. Thanksgiving IS just an important as Christmas but in light of recent events, I'm foregoing that rule. And when you finish my blog, you'll understand why.
When I was a kid, I was convinced my grandfather was Santa. He even looked like Santa. He had the bushy white beard that was soft but tickled your cheek. He had the big tummy and even the twinkle in his eye. I was always passionate about my friends meeting my grandparents because then they'd get to know the real Santa too.
As I grew older, I still retained that child-like faith of Santa because to me, he was real. I got to see him every time I went to Decatur. When I about 12 or 13, my grandma admitted to me that my grandfather always ate the Christmas cookies we left out. Even though my sisters and I were all old enough not to believe in Santa, we still left cookies for my grandfather to eat. And my grandfather, in true Santa form, left us little notes on the cookie plate. Mostly "Yum, yum, yum" or "Be good."
But mostly, he remained Santa to me because he shared 3 of Santa's main traits: talent, commitment and jolliness. When I started thinking about writing my blog, I asked Zack who he though made the toys before the Elves came. He thought about it for a minute and said "Santa." For this to be true, Santa must be a very talented craftsmen. He would be an expert at woodworking, welding and the world's greatest artist. My grandfather equaled Santa's talent. He was a wonderful stained glass artist. After he retired, he traveled to different churches and did stained glass windows for them. One of my most prized possessions is a stained glass frog lamp he made me when I was a teenager. I also discovered shortly after his death that he once entered a citywide stained glass competition and placed 2nd.
He was also a very talented musician and loved music. Every church he ever joined, he immediately joined the choir. He sung with the deepest, richest bass voice that shook the earth when he sang. He loved Southern Gospel Music, especially the Gaithers and had EVERY single Gaither video ever released. He knew all the songs and although I thought the Gaithers were boring, I still enjoyed hearing him sing. He is also the only person I've ever met who plays the dulcimer. Still not sure what it is but it sounds epic.
Santa was also very committed. Once he started delivering presents, there was no turning back for him. Think about what a huge commitment Christmas is. He spends 364 days preparing for one night. He organizes the elves, reindeer and has to make sure to get home to Mrs. Claus at some point. When my grandfather married my grandmother in 1961, he made that Santa-like commitment to her. When she entered the TB sanitarium not 2 years later, he committed himself to caring for my aunt, dad, and uncle. He fed them, clothed them, and entertained them for 6 months. He even convinced the TB hospital officials to let them in so they could visit their mom. He also showed that same commitment to his grandkids. There is not one drop of my grandfather's blood in my veins but that didn't matter to him. I was his granddaughter and he loved me as such.
To say my grandfather loved my grandma is a gross understatement. He adored her. During their courtship, he asked her to marry him every single day and I'm sure he meant it everyday too. My grandma often laughs about it and says, "I said no so much that when I actually said yes, he didn't hear me." When she was in the TB hospital, my grandfather visited her twice a day, everyday. During his lunch break and after he got off of work. When she was admitted to the hospital in January, he visited her everyday. Often spending the whole day by her bedside. In June, my grandparents celebrated 50 years of marriage. His Santa-like commitment never wavered to his 5 kids and wife.
Santa is also known for his happy demeanor and jolly laugh. My grandfather loved to tell jokes and took delight in the corny. His jokes were often told repeatedly and became known in my house as "Grandpa John" jokes. Like his jokes, his humorous stories were told hundreds of times. And there were always new people to tell his stories too. My dad said at the funeral that my grandfather, "Never met a stranger." He talked to everyone and I truly believe he enjoyed seeing people smile. He would be your new best friend whether you liked it or not. And truthfully, it was probably pretty hard not to like him. He had a wonderful, friendly disposition that you couldn't hate. I know he didn't always smile and as he got sicker, he could be grumpy at times. But as his grandchild, I will always say, he was always smiling and the jolliest person I ever knew.
I read this blog entry at his funeral and it surprised me how many people after came up and told me that he was Santa to them too. Not only did he look like Santa, he acted like him too. As I was talking to my younger sister about this, she even said, "I thought he was Santa too!" I loved my grandfather very much and I will him miss more than words can ever say. My world was made that much brighter by his goodness and humor. And I expect Christmas will be a little sadder this year without my Santa. I will never forget my grandfather. And even if I wanted too, I don't think I could because Santa never truly dies. His laugh, like my grandfathers, is immortalized in 3 short words: Ho, ho, ho.
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