Not everybody is close with their grandparents. Some may see their grandparents as any other family member that they see during the family holidays, the people that simply just raised your parents and nothing more, and there is nothing wrong with that. Not everyone is close with their grandparents and they deserve no judgment. But, there are people that are close with their grandparents, that value every word their grandma or grandpa cite, that could spend hours on end with them given the choice. This is me. I, un-apologetically, enjoy the everyday presence of my maternal grandparents.
From the time I was twelve until I was sixteen, if I wasn't at home, one was more likely to have luck finding me at my grandparents' house down the street rather than at a friend's home. I was fortunate enough to live right down the street from them when I moved to their state from my former one. Aside from them spoiling me like most grandmas are known to do, I just enjoyed laughing at their banter they often exchanged with each other and sometimes included me in. I spent most weekends throughout the school year and most summer days soaking in their wisdom and spending countless hours enjoying our time together. But like all good things, they must come to an end, if you're a believer of that particular proverb.
When I was sixteen, my grandpa died at the young age of 66, unexpectedly from a heart attack. I had lost two grandparents before, but I did not have a close relationship with them as I did with my Grandpa Brad. My grandpa provided me with the wisdom to not sweat the small stuff and to only worry about the things that mattered. This mattered to me more than anyone could ever think. When one's grandfather dies, those surrounding that one believe that it was just his time and if he was a grandfather, he was probably old. This is completely false to me, I did not believe that it was his time to leave(though it was) and he was not even slightly old enough to be ready to pass away. His time poking fun at me, encouraging me, and even scolding me(yes, I miss this) were over and are only memories now with no time to create new ones.
When you lose a close grandparent, your whole world shatters. You not only lose a family member, you lose a close friend that you confided in. They steal a chunk of your heart you were not ready to give away while they are ascending on their heaven ladder but manage to leave a piece of themselves behind in place of the piece they robbed you of. They momentarily take a piece of your soul with them after their own leaves the vessel they once occupied but leave behind some of their own in you. Whether you want to accept it or not, when you've created a close bond with your grandparent you, somewhere in your mind, carry their wisdom they have implemented with you throughout your time together.
