For Grandpa

For Grandpa

A year ago today I lost the only grandpa I knew.
His name was Gordon Crichton and he was 78.
He was married to his sweetheart Sue Bonnie Hilgers
And together they raised three boys and a girl.

It was the day before Thanksgiving and 4 in the morning
When my mother got the call we had been dreading.
Grandma called and told us that he finally passed,
And asked us to come over right away.

She came into my room, woke me up from my slumber
And told me the bad news about Grandpa.
She gave me the choice to stay home or go with her,
So together we went to comfort my Grandma.

We got into the car and started driving towards the hospital
For that’s where my mom believed him to be.
It wasn’t till we were searching around the ER for him
When mom remembered Grandma called from home, not there.

Back in the car we went, and raced to her house.
The cops that were waiting with grandma got a little worried
After we told them about our wrong stop and threatened to give
a speeding ticket if we were the family over 20 minutes away.

That small little humor helped my grandma on a day of sorrow
And now that we were there, the cops left us alone.
The daughter from 20 minutes away showed up soon after
Bringing along my cousin Dane to keep me strong.

As the morning dragged on, the rest of the family showed up
And soon enough Grandpa was carried away from the house.
I was amazed that I never saw a tear drop in Grandma’s eyes
And wondered how she could keep staying so strong.

We spent the rest of the morning remembering the great times.
The kids remembered the homemade popcorn he’d make
And how he would fix everything around the house with duck tape
And the days pitching batting practice to the Minnesota Twins.

The grandkids remembered all those homemade malts,
And driving trucks up and down Grandpa’s back.
All the years he played “Santa” at Christmas time
And walking down to see the trains at the railroad track.

So as I remember him this day, and every other day too,
I am thankful for the many years I did get to be with him.
I miss my Grandfather more than I could ever say
But I know that I will see him again in heaven someday.