Grandpa Weekend

I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend with my grandparents.I got to Mr.U’s house Friday evening, had dinner with him at Roadhouse, then headed out to a local pub to watch the Redwings playoff game. After their unfortunate loss, we decided to call it a night to ensure we’d be well-rested for the next day with grandma&grandpa. We grabbed breakfast and Nina’s then began our journey to the old farmhouse. I hid behind my sunglasses as tears filled my eyes – driving the familiar backroads and knowing that I’d find my healthy grandpa nestled in his chair wasn’t something I thought I’d ever be able to do again. Finally, I pulled in and breathed a sigh of relief. Calm down, girl. You get to see then now. I teared up as I hugged my grandma – her teeny body feeling so fragile after all these months apart. Then I stood in the kitchen in anticipation while grandpa finished “getting pretty” before slowly walking out to greet me with his walker.
He looked amazing for someone who’d spent two weeks under sedation. He always looks wonderful, but he looked especially enchanting and I felt incredibly lucky to be able to hug him again.
Mr.U&I spent the weekend at the farmhouse – we made breakfast, read a lot, giggled about old stories, drank coffee, and sat in the tranquility of a house that will forever calm my spirit. I told grandpa, “all I’ve wanted is to sit on this porch with you, you know.” And he agreed that his desires had matched mine.
My uncle (who’s becoming the “mother hen”) was in&out all weekend – bringing food, making sure all the proper medicines were taken, keeping grandpa hydrated and upright. Its precious to see a man in his 50’s dote over his father so lovingly. And we watched grandpa progress – not that I had any doubt he’d be up&about faster than expected. When we first arrived, he relied heavily on his walker. By the time we left on Sunday evening – he was hopping from room to room without it. A determined man he most certainly is. But I didn’t care if he simply slept the whole time – being near him was all I wanted.

I can tell he’s doing a lot of thinking. We may have been sitting in silence, but his head was anything besides quiet. He smiled at my grandma while she fidgeted with her IPad and watched Mr.U&I as we snuggled on the couch. I can only imagine what he’s thinking – what he wants to remember – what he can’t stop appreciating. He has no idea how much thinking, remembering, and appreciating I’ve been doing for him – and I’ll never stop.