I heard you, Gramps

So, tonight was the rosary for Gramps. I was doing ok up until I walked into the chapel. Then I had to keep stepping outside. It was kind of hot in there. Apparently, it was so hot my eyes were sweating. And it's never, ever easy to see your dad cry. On the plus side, I got to see a lot of people I probably haven't seen in 20 years. On the minus side, I had a nose whistle throughout the rosary. You know, where you breathe in and you think "Hey, birds!" and then you realize it's probably just a stray booger. It wouldn't go away. On the plus side, it really was a nice rosary. On the minus side, a person really shouldn't learn they're a pall bearer when they ask "So, who are the pall bearers?" and the answer starts with "Well, you and ...." On the plus side, I'm really glad I get to be a pall bearer. It means a lot to me.

I kept imagining what Gramps would be saying. I could hear him grumping about how long it was, even though it wasn't very long at all. I almost expected him to get up and say something to speed things along. Although, I suppose if he had gotten up and said something, we would have been there forever. But then, well, I guess it depends on what you believe, but to be honest, I believe Gramps did speak to us. And, in true Gramps style, he was kind of grouchy about how long the rosary was or maybe he was cold or his pillow was uncomfortable or something because at a quiet part, one of the attendee's oxygen tank started beeping. Just like Gramps's used to do when he'd roll his chair over the tube or would need to change the bottle or whatever. All the time.

I heard you, Gramps.