Footprints

Dear Ian,
 
Today was a sad day for our family.  Your last great-grandparent, my grandfather, Great Poppey passed away.  We, you included, got to see him and tell him goodbye on Tuesday when he was moved to Hospice.  You told him about making monster cookies in Cooking at school, and I got to hold his hand and tell him how much we loved him. 

Oh my gosh, this hat...

Talking to you about his passing was hard for me.  I didn't want to be upset and therefore upset you, too. But how could I explain the celebration of a well-lived life ending when your life is just beginning?  In the end, we told you that God was very proud of the good life Great Poppey had here on Earth and that now it was time for him to be in Heaven.  We explained that, like God, Great Poppey now lives in your heart, and you can think of him and talk to him whenever you want and he will hear you.  We talked about funny moments, like how Great Poppey had these crazy hats that he wore to make you laugh.  They had hair on them, which Great Poppey did NOT have, so when he took them off, it was sort of a shock.  Then later, in the car, we talked about sweet moments like how he got to hold you within minutes of your birth. 

Tonight, Daddy and I have spent time sitting in the living room, looking at old photos and reminiscing about Great Poppey, all the grands and great grands and family in general.  I've found photos of my great-grandmother (we called her Mommoo), all of my grandparents, and these photos and memories of generations of our family made me realize, yet again, how lucky I am.  I, like you, have had the love of my great-grandparents and grandparents.  This love helped make me the person I am today, and I know that your grandparents and great grandparents are having as much of an influence on you.  They are leaving an imprint on you like footprints, to use your very own words.  Those footprints will shape you into a better person, and I am humbled to get to watch that develop. 

While we will most definitely miss Great Poppey, we know that he is in Heaven with your Great-Grandma Davis, your Great-Grandma and Great-Grandma Colombrito and getting to know your Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Brooks and Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Graves.  They are all probably looking down at the family they helped to create in as much amazement as I have while I sit here and contemplate the huge legacy they all built. 

Their footprints will last forever on our hearts, and I promise to make sure that the memories of ALL of your family members will be kept strong and present in our lives.  We have an amazing family.  We are so incredibly lucky. 

In memory of Jerry Vernon Davis  

husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather

August 10, 1929 - October 24,  2013

We love you, Ian,
Mommy and Daddy