It was a cool fall morning; Grandpa met a group of us on the boardwalk that led to the hot springs. He had stayed with Karalee at the campsite by the fire to keep her company and to offer help as she was making breakfast. The rest of us had gone for an early swim to the hot springs. Grandpa didn’t like swimming and we never were able to convince him to join us in the water. We had a good breakfast of cinnamon buns in orange peels roasted on the fire, breakfast sandwiches with ham and cheese, and all kinds of other goodies. We spent a good amount of time visiting and singing. Eventually, Grandma and Grandpa went back to their hotel room to have some quiet time. They were able to talk to their son Kemp by FaceTime while the rest of us went to the pool.
Grandma and Grandpa met us at the pool around 3 pm. They were wondering if we were going to have lunch at all! They had stopped by our campsite and had heated lots of water for coffees. We ended up getting out of the hot springs much later than expected so we all decided to have a coffee and cake time (our lunch!) along with an early supper.
It was a special evening. We enjoyed a variety of baking from Grandma along with roasted hot dogs rolled in croissant dough on the campfire. I sat beside Grandpa quite a bit that evening along with Amy. Grandpa is not really a baby guy, but he did come up to me and say, “I think Amy and I need to have a little talk." He took her away and was whispering something to her. It was so special to see him holding her! Maph took a picture right away. A monumental moment. That was the first and last time he held his little great-granddaughter.
We were talking over dinner and Amy was getting fussy. I told Amy "Oh life is so hard!! Oh, Amy... it just gets harder." Grandpa said, "No, Annah don't tell her that! It gets BETTER!" Well, I guess for him it did get better when he met Jesus later that day.
That evening before supper, Maph was teaching everyone about Shabbat, a special celebration that the Jews do to begin the rest day. Usually, it begins with two candles being lit while someone, typically the mother, thanks God by saying, "He is the light of the world, our light in darkness". This evening we didn't light candles because it was too windy... we had the campfire as our “light”. Then a special cup, usually filled with wine (but we used some sparkling juice), is filled to overflowing to symbolize God's overflowing blessing in our lives. Next, we broke bread together symbolizing his provision. We used a hot dog bun. Finally, all the men prayed and blessed their wife and children. Grandpa prayed loud enough for us all to hear, a beautiful prayer of blessing over Grandma. Maph, his parents, and I taught everyone the song “Shabbat Shalom” which means “Sabbath Peace”. The song is lively, with lots of clapping which made us all have to crack a smile.
After this special time of fellowship, we were all busy packing up to leave the next day. Grandpa and I had exchanged plans of when we were leaving and when they were leaving. He showed us a cool flashlight from Canadian Tire that he had bought based on Dave's advice. It was in his pocket.
Eventually, everything was cleaned up and ready for the next day. Grandpa had cleaned up some of Grandma’s painting supplies and then he headed back to the hotel room without saying any good-byes as his intention was likely to come right back. That was the last time we saw him.
We headed back to the hot springs to enjoy one last swim with glowsticks and cold bubbly drinks. Grandma asked if we had brought Grandpa. We told her no, and she concluded that he went back to the hotel room to rest. We didn't think anything of it since we knew he was not interested in swimming anyways. We continued to enjoy each other’s company. The mood was light as no one knew or would ever have imagined what had happened in those very moments.
When we returned to our campsite, Dave decided to walk Grandma back to her hotel room. Grandpa had left the truck at the campground which was strange because it was blocking our vehicle and we were going to leave at 6 am in the morning. Dave came back and said that the door was locked and no one had answered when they knocked. Maph and Dave went looking for Grandpa while Grandma stayed in the lobby. Dave and Maph came back several times to see if he had shown up at the tent. He hadn't. Karalee had gone to be will Grandma. Dave, Maph, and I walked over to the hotel. A sense of worry had settled in by then. We all took turns praying as we walked. As we came into the hotel Karalee met us with tears in her eyes. It was true. Grandpa had suddenly and unexpectedly died. The hotel room door was open and he was lying lifeless on the floor. I saw him. Grandma had laid him down as he was found kneeling before the bed. It was so hard to believe! It didn't make sense. He was just with us! We had just talked with him! Why didn't we check earlier? He was so full of life still, yet we were too late to alter the outcome.
We started calling people. My Dad was told first. He had to tell my mom and then she called her siblings. Karalee and I went to put Grandpa's hands together on his chest. I grasped his strong hand to move it to his chest and started to cry. Karalee said, “These are the hands of a hardworking man.” I had to agree. They were strong hands that served, worked, cared, and loved, now laid to rest forever.
Grandpa still had on his beige work boots, his familiar green vest, and the only toque he ever really wore. He had taken his well worn Carhartt jacket off and had laid it on the bed; his swimsuit, still dry, was in one of the pockets, along with a piece of paper scribbled with future plans, a package of trail mix, and of course, his brand new flashlight.
For him, his life on earth is completed! He has finished the race and has kept the faith. He faithfully loved unconditionally and served others and his family. Grandpa, you will be terribly missed. Thank you for the Christ-like example you lived and His qualities that were so clearly evident in your life. I will always cherish these days, your final days, we shared together.
Love Your Granddaughter, Annah
