Speak Softly and Carry a Loving Heart

My parents are coming back to Amarillo with my grandpa, who I refer to as papa, from Denver. He had a heart attack in South Fork, Colorado while fishing. They took him to Denver in a Medivac chopper to care for him. The attack was minor, but the resutls of the tests show that with any more vigorous activity his heart could stop working. I spoke with him for 15 minutes yesterday, and just as I would suspect he was in good spirits about it all. The whole family knows it's in God's hands, so as hard as it is to swallow we all know what lies ahead. Both my uncles also made it up to Denver, so all 3 of his kids made it to see my papa. He basically will live as long as God allows, but the time could come with little warning. It will be hard... the man is probably the most amazing person I know. I've never seen him angry. Ever. He's never cursed. Ever. He's the most loving person I have in my life. We are close. Real close. I just pray that I have a few more years to cherish with him. I believe in my heart I will.

I just wish I could go fishing with him one more time. He is no longer allowed to do anything, so in essence his life has become a big boring nothing. He is always doing things whether it be home chores, traveling, working on rent houses, or many other things. I just feel bad for him that he can't enjoy the life the way he wants anymore.

He's funny. We talked about how he got to go to Denver in style and that the ride was bumpy due to thuderstorms... said the chopper was cramped and the nurses were nearly on top of him. How the hospital was feeding him slim pickins and all this healthly stuff. He's just so spirited.

Later down the road, I'll recall his attitude towards life. Optimistic. Confident. Loving. Understanding. Patient. He definitely fit the guideline: Speak Softly, and carry a Big Stick! His big stick was his loving heart.



But hey... I know I'll see him quite a few more times.