Life is fragile, family is sacred...

So I've never been particularly close to my family. I've never been one to call up mom and dad and talk relentlessly for hours each day about the mundane details of life. My grandparents have always been a source of constant joy and support for me though they are far and near. I love them very much, though I'm afraid I'm not as close with them as I should be or should have been.

I regret this very much in life, and I need to begin making amends for it. My grandfather, after being a chain smoker for much of his life quit about 10 years ago (give or take). Last year he was diagnosed with lung cancer. This wasn't a shock to us, though we didn't like it at all. He has been in and out of the hospital countless times with pneumonia this last year and his health is deteriorating at an alarming pace.

It's times like these that I'm ashamed that I never took the time as a teen to drive out to see him more often, and regret living so far away. I hate that my life has become so separate from the people who are responsible for my existence.

We have had our shares of ups and downs as a family. There has been heartache and times of joy. Though, I wouldn't trade any of it for it has made us who we are today.

I'm glad that I get to go home this weekend, and that Jim will be by my side. Hopefully I'll be able to get out and see Grandpa and introduce these two wonderful men to each other.



"Happy is the man who recalls his ancestors with pride and realized that fate has linked him with a race of goodly men." -Goethe