What a long week....

For those who do not know, my grandfather, Harold Jordan, passed away last Friday. I thought all week about blogging the news, but every time I thought about it, it made me so sad. Unbelievably sad. Surprisingly sad. The tears still creep in as I type this.

My grandfather has been sick for quite some time. This week as we greeted people at the funeral home, the question came up quite a lot "how long had he been sick?" The answer: longer than any of us realized. Grandad started forgetting things about 6-7 years ago. Then the things he would forget got more important (like how to get to Red Lobster!) I think he was really good at fooling all of us. But slowly, everyone realized that his forgetfulness was becoming a problem. Eventually he had to quit driving. Then earlier this year, my grandmother could no longer handle his care on her own and we were faced with the decision to move him into a nursing home. Last week, he suffered a stroke and just never recovered. I felt like I had greived him all I could over the last few years. I felt like I would be ready when he passed away. But the sadness is still there. There is just no way around it.
At 2pm on Friday, March 20, 2009 my Grandaddy passed away surrounded by his children and grandchildren. It was very peaceful. There is no doubt, he is in a better place with no pain, no forgetfulness and he can HEAR!!!
We were able to honor him with a full military honors at the funeral service. Grandad was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II who participated in the 1943 landing at Anzio and the liberation of Rome. He was a soldier of the 1st Ranger Battalion, “Darby’s Rangers,” and the 1st Special Service Force, the “Devil’s Brigade,”. He won the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Combat Infantry Badge. As a kid, I certainly never understood how important all of that was, but as I got older, I became so proud. The soldiers who performed the military honors at the service came in to talk to my uncle and grandmother before it started. They went over and looked at Grandad's medals and badges and they were really impressed. Grandad was a hero.
But he was a hero for more reasons than his service to our country. He was a great dad and grandfather. He taught me to fish and camp. He taught me to bait my own hook and snipe hunt (HA HA HA!). He was a great cook! He had a strong moral fiber that he passed on to all of us. I will always remember two stories that my mom has shared with me about her childhood:
#1 When mom was about 5 or 6, she and grandad went to the grocery store down the road from their house. While they were there, mom noticed a pile of trash that had been swept up on the floor. Right in the middle of that pile was a gumball. Mom picked it up, brushed it off and popped it in her mouth. Grandad finished the shopping and they got in the car to go home. When they got in the car, grandad noticed she was chewing gum and he asked where she'd gotten it. When she told him she got it off the floor, he scolded her. He told her that it was not her gum to take. It was in the store and just because it was on the floor did not mean she could just take it. He made her go back in and tell the store manager what she had done. Lesson #1: If it's not yours, don't take it!
#2 In the Jordan household (and the Pemberton household many years later) there was a rule: When the streetlights come on, you better be inside. Well, Judy liked to play outside in the summer. She noticed it was getting darker but she wanted to play just a bit longer. The street lights started to come on and she pushed just a few more minutes but finally went on home. She got to the side door and it was LOCKED. She knocked. No answer. Knocked again. Grandad came to the door and said "Hmm, I think I hear a knock at this door but I don't know who would be knocking on my door. It certainly wouldn't be Judy because the street lights are on so I'm sure she's inside." Mom is outside yelling "Daddy, it's me! It's Judy!" He still pretended to ignore her but did finally let her in. Lesson #2: Jennifer's butt was inside when those street lights came on!
There are many many more stories like these. And many many more ways that Grandad influenced my life both directly and through my mom. He leaves a wonderful legacy. While we all sat around him after he had passed last Friday, my grandmother said "You are all wonderful children and we are so lucky to have you." My aunt Susan told her "You and Daddy made us who we are!" So true.
In case you wondered, Ellie is handling things better than any of us. I was worried about telling her, but Brandon and I are very honest in our parenting and I didn't want to keep it from her. She said "Grandaddy is in heaven with God and Jesus and Rose (the cow)!" Later, she asked Biz if Grandad would feed Rose. I told Ellie that Nana was very sad that Grandad had died because he was her Daddy and she will miss him. Ellie looked at me and said "She doesn't have to be sad. Grandad can still be her Daddy in heaven." So made it so simple.
We are all doing well. Tim's birthday is today and Biz's is tomorrow. Tim's sister Nicole and her family are coming tonight and I think we will do some birthday celebrating. Of course, Biz doesn't like to combine birthdays because her life motto is "It's all about Elizabeth" so I think we will party tomorrow for Tim and Sunday for Biz. (insert eye roll) Have a great weekend!