the lucky one.

sunday around 4pm, after driving back home from Charleston, I snuggled up in my bed and started watching the movie The Lucky One.

 

my mom text me later to tell me the EMS had been called for my granddaddy.  this wasn't necessarily out of the ordinary.  just the night before, my mom text me to let me know my uncle had taken him to the ER because he was running a fever.  he didn't have the flu or pneumonia so they sent him home that same night with a Zpak for bronchitis. 

 

they've had to call the EMS before many times just because both my grandparents are getting up there in age.  so I was used to getting these types of texts from my mom.

 

I was, of course concerned but I just figured my mom would get to my grandparents and would update me about how long he'd need to be in the hospital or what the doctor would say.

 

I said a quick prayer and I remember thinking to myself..."what if?" what if this is when i'm not gonna get good news.  after a minute of that...I continued focusing on the movie.

 

towards the end of the movie, my mom called me.  the minute my phone rang and I saw it was her I knew it was not gonna be good news.

 

I answered and I could tell she was already crying.

 

"Beth...are you back in Greenville? Are you at home?"

"Yes." **starting to cry**

"I'm at Me-Maw and Granddaddy's and when I got here Granddaddy had already passed away."

"Noooooooooooo!" **more crying**

"I know, baby.  But he died peacefully in his sleep."

 

we talked a little longer and before we hung up I said..."I'm sorry, Mama."

 

I had lost my grandfather, but she had just lost her daddy.  My heart ached for her.

 

I've never lost someone close to me before.  Atleast, not this close.  My maternal grandparents were basically the only ones I had.  My dad's mom passed before I was born. His dad passed when I was 5. 

 

The Lucky One movie was still playing, but at this point I had it muted and was in hysterics.

 

over the past 3 days of funeral things and sadness I began to think.  i'm a lucky one. 

 

i'm lucky to have been able to have my granddaddy for the past 29+ years. 

 

i'm lucky that he was...as my grandma said..."sharp as a tack."  he went to eat breakfast at a local cafe every morning and had just been there friday morning before the sunday he passed.   he was ALWAYS working on something.  the last time I saw him earlier this month, he was getting ready to go help his friend work on something at his workshop.

 

i'm lucky that he and my grandmother set such a wonderful example for me as they were married for 66 and a half years.

 

i'm lucky that so many people loved him in his community.  so many people told me how much he meant to them and how special he was.  this I already knew, but to hear it from other people meant so much more.  when we were leaving the chapel at the funeral, I noticed they had to put in extra chairs for all the people there.

 

my granddaddy is lucky he lived such a full life.  he was 94 years old.  and died in his sleep while sitting in his chair.  he wasn't in the hospital.  he wasn't in a nursing home.  he died in probably one of his favorite places to be.

the picture in the lower right hand corner is my favorite.  my granddaddy had that picture in a frame next to his chair.

it's gonna be hard walking in the door and not hear him say "hey there, puddin'!" anymore.
 

thank you so much to so many of you who already knew the news and sent me tweets, texts, and facebook messages.  i'm truly blessed with some amazing people in my life.