100 Days of Happiness - Day 82

[dizzojay]

Today would have been my Grandad's 92nd birthday.

It's almost five years since his passing, and together with my Nan who we lost in 2003, there's not a day goes by that I don't think about them.



This sounds very sad, but it's also happy, because I feel utterly gifted to have had two such special, fabulous people in my life until well into my thirties and forties.

I adored both of my grandparents, but it was a family joke that my grandad and I doted on each other. Through nothing more than an accident of birth, I was the daughter he'd always wanted but never had, I was also his only grandchild.  He was the soft touch that I could wrap around my little finger and oddly enough this appeared to be something he was very proud of!!!!

Here's a little picture of my Nan and Grandad, taken in about 1998, on a trip to a country park in the Isle of Wight.  I know my Grandad would want me to point out that he wasn't in the habit of wearing dirty, stained clothes - he'd been feeding the animals and his trousers were covered in goat and deer spit!

Here's also a little post I made a couple of years ago in tribute to him. This is a delightful little story and sums up who he was to me - a fascinating man with a long and rich life, full of experience and humour and knowledge, and for me the best thing of all was simply that he was my Grandad.

Happy Birthday Grandad!

Comments

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Grandparents like that are a great gift alright. Posthumous Happy Birthday wishes, Dizzo's Grandad!

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

They certainly are a gift!
Thank you - I'm sure he'd appreciate your birthday wishes :)

[milly-gal.livejournal.com]

That's a lovely photo and it's always so brilliant to be able to remember those that have left us with fondness and love :) *hugs*

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Yes, I love that photo, it was a memory of a very lovely day :)

[blackrabbit42.livejournal.com]

Loved the story. I once got offered a job on the Mississippi Queen, and I'm not really sure what got in the way, but here I am, so it must have been the right thing. Happy Birthday to your Grandad!

:)

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

All throughout life we have decisions and choices which all go together to make us the person we are. Whatever decision you made was clearly the right one!

[waywardprimrose.livejournal.com]

Very sweet, they both sound lovely. I totally understand having that special relationship. My grandparents have always been a big part of my life, my Dad's parents were for years because they lived "next door" to us on the farm - different house but only 30m apart so I was forever "running away" to hang out with them. I wasn't the only Grandchild but I was the only one living next door! The rest would come to visit but it was rare a week went by without me visiting and for years Grams would have a cold can of diet coke in the fridge waiting to tempt me to stop in for a visit after school. Dad's parents were about twenty years older than Mum's though so I lost both of them - Grandpa about 7 years ago and then Grandma about two years ago. Losing Grandma was really hard. Since then I've actually grown closer to Mum's parents, we live closer to them now and they've become more involved in our lives and again I'm so blessed to have them. I really think society wide we don't realise just how important Grandparents are, to their kids, Grandkids and Great Grandkids. Thanks for sharing x

[metallidean-grl.livejournal.com]

Your grandparents sound like they were lovely people. You are so lucky to have had your grandparents so late in your life. My paternal gparents died when I was 2. Never knew my maternal grandfather. He died in Holland shortly after WWII before my mom emigrated to the States. And my maternal grandma died when I was 7. I always felt like I lost out on so much not having grandparents growing up.

Very sweet, lovely tribute.