"Grandpa" by Julia Faltin

Grandpa Faltin was one of the greatest men I have known. His perspective on life was so optimistic and encouraging even under all of his circumstances. He could make you smile whenever you needed it and he always had a way of making your day better. My odyssey is about Grandpa and his long battle with cancer that eventually brought his life to an end. His death has affected countless people but through all the pain and grieving I think most of them, including me, have learned an important lesson from it: when someone passes away, they become closer to you than ever before.

Grandpa was diagnosed with lung cancer in August of 2008. It was a gloomy day for everyone. Our family was told that he had only 2 months to two and a half years to live. The treatments started right away and it seemed like Grandpa constantly had an appointment. He had many treatments, like chemotherapy and radiation, done to stop the cancer from growing. Grandpa was getting worn out. It seemed like every visit, he got weaker and weaker. His coughs were longer, he lost his appetite, and his energy disappeared. He was put on an oxygen machine and not long after that he ended up in a nursing home.

Grandpa lived for about 3 months in the nursing home. Finally, on Thursday, February 3 of this year Grandpa passed away. At 81 years old he proved the doctors wrong and survived for three long years with cancer. Almost immediately, the funeral preparations began. It was a very difficult time for everyone. All of the memories of Grandpa kept coming back to me since his death and I know I will never forget them. One thing that every grandchild of his will always remember about him was the “Jellybean Game.” This was a game where Grandpa would hold up a jellybean to you and you had to guess what color it was. Almost every time, no matter what you guessed, you would be wrong. If you guessed green, it would be emerald but if you guessed emerald, it would be green. It was hard for me to think about all of these things and realize that they would never happen again. Never being able to see Grandpa again was going to be difficult. He had always been such an important part of my life and now he was gone.

At first I was miserable. Everybody was kind of depressed and the house was quiet but life went on. I knew Grandpa was in a better place with Jesus but it was hard for me to understand why God took him from me. It was not until about a week later that I realized maybe it was not such a bad thing. I saw that I could talk to him whenever I wanted and that he would always be there watching over me. Once I realized this I felt closer to him. Today I know that he is guiding me through everything that I do. He is helping me make the right choices and leading me to become the person God wanted me to be. Grandpa may have past away from this world, but I know that he’ll never leave my heart.

Through Grandpa’s death I have learned that you can become closer to people, even when they pass away. Grandpa has left a huge impact on numerous people, especially me. He has brought me closer to my faith and he showed me what life and death are all about. I will never forget Grandpa Faltin. My odyssey may have been a long, difficult ride but it all happened to make me stronger.