Dear Gee and Par,
It hurts me to no end to write this letter knowing that you no longer walk this Earth. I had almost 17 beautiful years with both of you before the first light burnt out. Just short of another two years passed before the second followed. In these years, I've experienced so much, laughed so much, learned so much from two angels sent from the heavens above to grace my family with the love and care they were so rightfully gifted with. You lived lengthy lives filled with adventure, and despite having the knowledge that you were closing in on your final days on this planet, I have every reason to believe that we lost both of you far too soon. There are so many things I wish I could say to you. I missed my chance to tell you directly, so I hope this will suffice.
I will never forget the first time I slept at your house without the comfort of my immediate family. I cried and cried and cried, too scared to realize that I was in one of the safest and warmest environments I'll ever know. Gee, you sat down next to me on the bed and refused to leave until you were sure I was alright. From then on, I looked forward to any opportunity to sleep over and see the glowing faces of two beautiful grandparents as I walked through the door, pajamas in one hand and toothbrush in the other. Thank you for being there every time I needed the comfort and unconditional love of a grandparent.
I will never forget the time that you literally saved my life. At the time, you probably never thought that seemingly harmless bowl of peppermints would result in one of the biggest scares of my 14-year-old life. Popping one round red-and-white mint into my mouth was just a normal day until that single mint got lodged in the back of my throat. The house turned into a war zone. The Knott/Grupposo/Miga family vs. the dreaded mint. Par, you dropped everything and did the heimlich maneuver over and over until I was safe and sound. This may have meant next to nothing to you, but to me, it meant knowing that you will go to the ends of the Earth for me, no matter the circumstances.
I will never forget the nights I would be on the high school stage singing my heart out in the latest school musical or choir concert, and I would look out to the audience and always see those two familiar faces enjoying every minute of it. It didn't matter how the performance itself went, because the only thing on your minds was how happy you were to be there. From the bottom of my heart, I hope you enjoyed every single performance, and it may have seemed almost routine of me to thank you for coming, but it's indescribable how much appreciated the support from two of my biggest fans.
Family reunions, holiday celebrations, even just the occasional BBQ aren't the same without you. Of course these gatherings hold some of my most cherished memories, but nothing compares to arriving at our annual Christmas party and hearing the sound of your voices cut through the chatter filling the entire room. I would give anything everything to hear your voices one last time. I will forever regret not taking the time out of the day to tell you this in person. I miss you and love you. It breaks my heart that you are no longer here to see me graduate from college, get married to the love of my life, or have my first child.
But part of me thinks you will see it. Maybe not down here on earth. But I know for sure that there are two angels watching over me from above. And I can't wait for you to see me live my life to the fullest as you have taught me. I'm going to make you proud. Just you wait.
Love,
Steven
