Dear Grandpa…

There are some people in this world whose simple presence can make an impact on a full room. My grandpa is one of those people. He is the definition of what a man should be: regal, loving, humble, faithful and hardworking. A true gentleman, he commands respect without needing to work for it.  His heart is devoted to his wife and family and he is the glue that keeps our large family together. Today, this great man passed on. Hearing of the different members of our family all over California who stopped their lives to spend the day in honor of him made me realize, even more, how blessed I am to be Salvador Medina’s granddaughter. 

Dear Grandpa,

I sit here thinking of you and I can’t believe how the years have flown by us. It seems like just yesterday I was crawling into bed between you and Grandma when my mom dropped me off to go to work.  I remember how proud I felt to dance on your arm at family functions.  I miss you showing off your peppers and tomatoes from your garden. I wish I had spent more time reading with you from the Readers Digest you kept on the coffee table when I was little. I still can’t figure out how you made cream of wheat taste so good.  I never told anyone but I used to put on your deodorant when I was small so that I would smell like you.   I want you to know that the love you and Grandma share has always inspired me. You both have shown me what real passion and love look like and gave me hope in this critical world that soulmates and happily ever afters are possible.  I will miss the sound of her yelling “viejo” at you and watching her hand rest on your arm with the ease that comes from 60+ years of marriage.

It is emblazed in my memory that day you told me how proud you were of me and my family that I had created. How you had watched me go from a little girl to a woman and a mother… those words meant more than you will ever know.  I am sad that my children will not know you like I did, but I promise to keep your memory present for them so that they know what an amazing man they had for a Great Grandpa.  I explained to Olivia that you were in Heaven now because it was time for God to take care of you.  I, without a doubt, know you are an angel.  There would be nobody better qualified than you Grandpa.  Thank you for being you.

I miss you so much and I will see you in my dreams.

Te amo,

Melissa