My Grandpa, A Legacy of Love

My Grandpa in the RCMP

Last week my friend and I were driving home from our cruise. A song came on the radio that was on her playlist. It was Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton singing, "When I Get Where I am Going." It is a beautiful song and it touched my heart. I hadn't heard it since my Grandpa died but tears began to roll down my cheeks when it came to these lyrics:

Yeah when I get where I'm goin,
There'll be only happy tears.
I will shed the sins and struggles 
I have carried all these years.
And I'll leave my heart wide open,
I will love and have no fear.
Yeah when I get where I'm goin,
Don't cry for me down here

I'm gonna walk with my grand daddy.
And he'll match me step for step.
And I'll tell him how I missed him
Every minute sence he left,
Then I'll hug his neck.

In that moment I was reminded about my Grandpa and how much I missed him, his wisdom, his grace. He was just an old cowboy, a man who loved horses, a quiet man, knew how to work hard, loved his family. I never once wondered if Grandpa loved me I knew it. I knew it because he took me places with him, to feed the horses or out to Turf Paradise Race Track to swim the horses. Whenever he saw me he would hug me tight and rub my cheeks with his whiskers and give me a kiss. He would wrestle with us grandkids, let us feel his muscles and would give us horsey ride's on his foot. As my Grandpa lay in his hospice bed just a few short hours before he passed I rubbed his big strong hands with lotion. It was the last time I would hold his hand in this life. I whispered in his ear how much I loved him. He is a true example to me of a man who KNEW what real treasure was, and that is love. He lived the gospel, he served others, he was honest and true to his family, he loved my Grandma. 

Since I have arrived home, I have begun to read his life story. I am amazed at how PHYSICALLY hard his life was. Last night, I came to the part where he was in the RCMP and met my Grandma. He saw her working as a teller at the bank, they were both on duty and so he did not feel right asking her for a date. He asked his friend an Irish policeman to give him a call and let him know when she was off work. Around 9 PM one night he received a call that said she and some co workers had gone to Snelgrove's, a lunch counter. He quickly got up, got dressed and went there. He said, luckily there was a vacant stool beside her. We chatted for a few minutes then I asked her if I might escort her home. 

This may not sound like some fantastic love story, but to me it is. It is one of the best ones. It is not a fantastical story of love, there are no princesses or knights. I can see however that  it was not a coincidence that they met because they were perfect for each other. They worked hard together and supported each other. He baptized my Grandma, they were sealed in the Alberta Temple. They had seven red headed children, one of which I am lucky enough to call Mom. They were never rich in the worldly sense, but they understood what real treasure is in this life. During this Thanksgiving season, I am thankful that I have been taught BY EXAMPLE gospel truth's. I am thankful for my Grandpa a true man of character. I am thankful for the example of a love story that never ends.