It’s all over now.

The wake, the funeral, everything.

It was hard at times, it really was. But at times, it was all very comforting.

So many people turned out to pay their respects to my grandfather. He was so loved and respected by those who knew him. He really will be missed.

It was hard to watch my Grandma say goodbye. My grandparents met in 1944 when my Grandpa was home on sick leave from the Navy. It was love at first sight for both of them. Once my Grandpa finished his tour of duty in 1946, they married and built a wonderful life together. There were hard times, but through it all, they had each other. They were soulmates, and up until the end, they were still sweethearts.

Grandpa’s funeral service was so beautiful. It was like something you’d see on television when someone really important passes away.

At the church, Dave and my brother both spoke, reading passages from the Bible. I wrote my grandpa’s eulogy, but I didn’t feel like I’d be able to get up and say it without breaking down. So, my cousin read it for me. My family was really happy with what I wrote and felt comforted.

Grandpa was a retired NYC police officer, so the NYPD honor guard came to the funeral home and to the church services. They draped his casket with the U.S. flag and served as pallbearers. Outside the church, there were about 12 guards stationed in the area to block off the streets and salute the casket as we passed by. Two trumpet players played “Taps” as we left. It was really something special.

Once we got to the crematorium’s chapel, respresentatives from the U.S. Navy were there to greet us and performed a ceremony. They folded the flag from the casket and presented it to my Grandma with condolences. At the end, the officers all stood at attention and saluted while the head officer said, “A fellow sailor has departed.” That was so touching.

Although Grandpa was a modest man, he was really an everyday hero. I think he would have been happy to know he’d be honored like this. He deserved to be respected and remembered like this. I’m thankful that while he lived, his family and friends never hesitated to let him know how much they loved and appreciated him.

It’s times like these that make you realize that every day we live and breath is a gift. And every moment we have with our loved ones is a moment to be cherished. And that we should never take the people we care about for granted.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 31st, 2007 at 5:21 pm and is filed under personal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.