01.09.2012 at 1:24 pm
mr jim
last night i took janie to see her great-grandfather. her daddy's grandfather. mr jim. mr jim has been sick for a few years now. and last night i got a message from chris that he may only have a few more hours to live. i asked if i needed to come by there, or if chris wanted us to come by, or what? i wasn't sure what to do in this situation, i mean, since our divorce, i don't know how to act in a lot of situations, ya know?
i decided to explain to janie what was going on, and she seemed to take it all in. she never got upset, but she seemed to become solemn about the situation. as we drove the 15 miles to mr jim's house, i felt a hot flush come over my face.
mr. jim is a really nice man. he's a little man, about my height (which is about 5'5") and has white hair. i've always felt a connection to mr. jim, he's always hugged me a little longer and a little tighter than even my own grandfather ever has.
i love that little man. he reminds me of the grandfather-type you see on television. not the grumpy type, but the lovable grandpaw type. the type of grandfather everyone wants to have.
his wife (mrs. janie) passed away in 2003, just less than a year before my janie was born, which is who she is named after.
this man has lived thru a lot... he fought in two wars � world war II and the korean conflict. he was only able to fight in world war II because he lied about his age because he wanted to serve his country.
he's had cancer -- to which he lost a kidney in the process of overcoming. he's had his wife of over 50 years to pass away. and now, he's had his one remaining kidney to fail on him due to a medication for his diabetes that he should not have been put on in the first place.
and he has decided that he does not want to do dialysis anymore.
he's ready to go see mrs. janie.
my daughter stood by his bedside last night and listened to him tell her stories of what he wished he could do with her, places he wished he could take her, and she answered all his questions, as best she could.
i have never been more in awe of my daughter as i was last night. as scared and worried as i knew she was, she handled the whole situation as tho she completely understood everything that was going on. mr. jim laughed and picked at janie and at me while we were there, i hugged him more times that i can remember right now.
as soon as we walked out of him house, chris's uncle told us that he hadn't spoken that much in days.
i know it wasn't me that had that affect on him, it was her. it was my precious janie. her smile can light up a room and her laughter can infect anyone around her -- it's an absolute gift, SHE is an absolute gift. and i hope that she continues to brighten the days of everyone she is around.
and i hope that mr jim isn't in any more pain. because i am sure that mrs. janie is oh-so excited to see him walk thru those pearly gates. :)
xoxo
tell me i'm beautiful...
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