grandpa.

i'm way behind on blogging and my camera battery has been uncharged for about a month now... so i don't really think i will be able to catch up. but i want to write about my grandpa james hendry griffith.

he passed away after a seven year battle with cancer on thursday, november 18th. i knew it was coming, but i still wasn't ready. i'd heard reports from both sides of the spectrum. my dad was forever optimistic about his dad making a recovery from his last blood infusion and being able to regain function in his legs and return home, while my sister was more convinced that it was time.

as i mentioned, he lost the function of his legs, and since he was unable to move about much, he decided it was time for hospice. but there were reports that it was only temporary and he would be back home. unfortunately, he didn't recover, but only got weaker. he was in a considerable amount of pain, which they tried to control with morphine. unfortunately, that meant that he was basically put into a coma. my sister and grandma were both there with him when he took his last breath, and my dad was on his way.

i will always remember his quite cheerfulness. he was soft spoken, but long winded. he was forever looking to give compliments. on a day when i was feeling subpar, he would [without knowing my own feelings] comment on my outfit or my hair or something to make me smile. i never heard him say anything mean or negative about anyone or anything. ever. he was a hard worker and certainly old fashioned. although my grandma started using a computer and the internet many years ago, he preferred the library and traditional letter writing. he was a geologist for mobile oil, but he liked to do research of all kinds and was very interested in our family history. he even made a few trips to ireland to do some genealogy research. when he got back, he told me a story about hitch hiking in the countryside and getting a ride from a family who invited him for dinner. when they were finished, he noted that they didn't wash the soap off the dishes, they just let them dry. haha. he had lots of funny little stories like that to tell. that also wasn't the only time he had hitch hiked that i know about, which often made my grandma worry. but i don't think he saw the danger in it. he and my grandma used to come take care of my brother, sister, and me when we were little so that my parents could go on vacation. my sister and i used to put on these silly little dance performances to entertain them, and he would always oblige us by watching. he used to quiz me on geography using a big atlas that my dad has, and he would always comment on how smart i was. he was always sure to let me know that he was proud of my school work and my accomplishments. he was a handyman. he was independent, but so in love with my grandma. he loved to garden. we used to visit them for the summers sometimes, and he always had an impressive vegetable garden with carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, etc. as he and my grandma got older, the gardening got reduced, but even during my last visit to see them, he was still going out everyday to check on his string beans and pick any that were ready to be harvested. he liked to be active and even talked my grandma into doing a 100 mile bike ride with him. during those childhood summer visits, i remember going on lots of bike rides with him and to a nearby park to play. there was also a gymnasium [as he would call it] in denver that he took my sister and i to one time. i am pretty sure that he did gymnastics throughout school. he taught me how to play corquet in their backyard. he liked to try to plan at least one education activity whenever he knew i was visiting... sometimes to the aquarium or the museum of nature and science. he wasn't big on tv or movies, except for the occasional action movie as far as i know. i remember that he used to play "day o" by harry belafonte, and sooner or later my sister and i would request to hear it every time we visited.

gosh. i can't believe he is gone. i can't help but think about the things that he will miss that i wanted to share with him. but at the same time i am so thankful that i had the chance to know him and make memories with him. he will be forever loved and missed.