Happy Birthday, Grandpa Jim!

Just know that your life had a meaning.

Every life has a meaning,

whether it lasts one hundred years

or one hundred seconds.

Every life and every death

changes the world in its own way.

Today Grandpa Jim would have been 54!

We are celebrating the day as we do all his other birthdays.  Having cupcakes, singing "Happy Birthday" and sending balloons up to heaven.  This year instead of sending up three balloons, Grandpa Jim will be getting four.

Don't cry because it is over.

Smile because it happened.

~Dr. Seuss~

I miss my Dad everyday, but today it is especially hard.  Today is a difficult reminder that my Dad isn't here and I am not able to do all of the things I want to for him.  I want to be picking out the perfect birthday present for him, I want to be buying him a birthday cake and watching him blow out the candles with a grandson on each knee, I want to see his smile as he listens to Alex sing "Happy Birthday", but mostly I want him here so I can hug him, kiss his cheek and tell him how much I love him.

While both joy and sorrow are fleeting,

and often intertwined, 

love has the power to overcome both.

And love can last forever.

~Deb Plouse Fulton~

As much as he loved being my Dad, he would have adored his role as Grandpa Jim.  I have no doubt that his two grandsons would have been the light of his life.  His office would have been decorated in pictures of the boys and he would have gone to work regularly telling everyone about Alex's latest antics.  Knowing all that he is missing is one of the hardest things for me.  I would give anything to see him with Alex and Jax.  I would give anything for them to know him!

Perhaps they are not stars in the sky,

but rather openings where our loved

ones shine down to let us know they are happy.

~Eskimo Legend~

My Dad was an amazing man.  He was so full of life and love.  He touched more lives that he ever realized while he was here.  He made everyone around him feel important, intelligent and valued.  He listened to people without judgment.  He cared about everyone, regardless of if he knew you an hour, a year or a lifetime.  I will never forget the days of the visitation and funeral and looking around and seeing how many people were there to honor him and my Mom - it was a true testament to the people that they were.

Grieve not, nor speak of me with tears,

but laugh and talk of me

as if I were right there beside you.

~Isla Paschal Richardson~

Today, we will remember my Dad - not because he died, but because he lived and because he has created a beautiful legacy.  We will share stories with Alex and Jax, because he lives on through our stories and our memories.  We will celebrate this day because God created an incredible man and shared him with us for 48 wonderful years.  We will honor the life that he lived. 

What the heart has once known,

it shall never forget.

~Author Unknown~

Happy Birthday, Daddy!  I miss you more than I ever thought possible.  My heart aches knowing you won't be here on your special day.  But knowing that you are celebrating in heaven with Mom and so many others, eases the pain just a little bit.  Know that you are loved, missed and thought of not just today, but each and every day.  I love you!

To live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die.

~Thomas Campbell~