He had a stroke about 10 years ago then about 4 or 5 years ago he started showing signs of dimentia and alzheimers and was put into the nursing home.
When Amelia was just a couple months old we took her to visit him and he held her with his good arm. I never got a picture of that.
This is my favorite picture of him and Amelia. There is something about it that shows so much innocence to me.
These pictures were taken at his birthday the last weekend in January. I knew the minute I saw him he wasn't going to fight much longer. I walked up to him right away and when he saw me I saw a look in his eye that is identical to the one that my dad gets when he sees Amelia. I knew at that moment he recognized me. I can't explain how that made me feel. So many mixed emotions. Before I left, I gave him a kiss and hug and told him how much I loved him. It was so hard, deep down I knew that would probably be the last time I saw him.
This is a picture of me, Amelia, my dad, grandpa and grandma.
This is my grandpa and grandma and part of my aunt :)
A week after this party, I got a phone call saying my grandpa had passed away. At the family services they played an audio tape of my grandpa and grandma had made in 1996 about their lives and it reminded me of the person before dimentia and alzheimer's took over. I now have a copy of that recording and am so grateful because I was afraid that I would only remember the last few years of his life. When, really, that was only a small part of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment