My 93 year old Grandpa is dying right now. My ex-never-step-mother called to let me knkow that the nursing home told her she better get down there before it's too late. He's in Kansas. I'm in Michigan. He isn't my real Grandpa, but he was as close as it gets. He always wore these funky tan jumpsuits. His nickname is Bug. He used to pick me up from highschool in his huge orange and white pickup complete w/bullhorn attached. He would pull up and say over the bullhorn, "Christy (lastname) you're Grandpa's here to pick you up!" It was MORE than embarrassing, but I love him for it! He took me to doctor's appointments. He was the one who took me to get my first pair of contacts and the first person I actually saw with them on! We would go to NuWay and get a NuWay burger together and sit and chat about anything and everything.

He had pictures of family all over his room. Once I asked him who this little boy was. He told me that he couldn't tell me b/c it was a secret and he didn't want to hurt the person who promised him not to tell. This is one of the first times in my life that I actually respeced an adult.

And after all of that, I didn't know how much he loved me. He had his own biological grandkids that I thought occupied all of his love. Two and a half years ago, I got to see him. I was so excited. I walked into his nursing room and he sat up and said, "As I live and breath! Am I seeing things!" He had a little bookshelf next to his bed. On it there was a cross, rosary beads, and.....a picture of me. I started crying.

He is a great man. I hope that his passing into the next world is as painless as possible.

I love you Grandpa Al.