Forever Bear

As most everyone knows today my family had Bear's funeral and burial. It was one of the longest days of my life. It was so incredibly sad and wonderful at the same time. I mean wonderful in that everything about it came off perfectly, I do not even have the right words to say about my family, they are all truly amazing. Everyone pulled it together and honored the man that bear was to us in the most beautiful way. Bear would be incredibly proud. We shed many tears. I think of all the things I wish bear could have seen of course the birth of our baby is the biggest for me. I wanted him to see me graduate college (finally) I wanted him to be here when ben and I move back to texas. I try not to think about myself and think of how happy I am for bear. How he has gone to be home with the Father he loved so much, how he is no longer in pain, how he lived an amazing life and finished his race strong. Someone said at the funeral today that bear did not leave the land of the living for the land of the dead....he left the land of the dying for the land of the living. Isn't that so true, we have had a huge loss but heaven had a huge gain!! I could not be prouder of the man that was my grandfather, our Bear. I can only hope that his memory, his legacy will stay strong through those of us he loved the most, his family. As for my part, my baby will always know who their great grandfather was, Ben and I will make sure that he/she knows of the Bear who loved him way before birth, who prayed for them and sang "hallelujah" when he found out the news. Until the day when we can all meet in heaven.

The last I can say about my bear is this. I copied what I wrote for bear for his 70th birthday. I don't have the words I need right now so here is a portion of my heart.

"Bear, what words could do you justice…as a man, as a father, as a disciple of Christ, as a grandfather. On your birthday I want to tell you thank you for being the man that you are. Not just to me but to everyone. When I think of you words like brave, courageous, generous, loving, and ambitious, come to my mind. You are not only my grandfather that I love but also a man who I admire. You are true to yourself, you are strong and deep on the inside because of the experiences life has given you, and soft around the edges
because of the things you have let go of along the way. You are rich because of the laughter, love and friendship you have shared. You are wise and knowledgeable but humble in demeanor. Today is a day to celebrate the man that you are, the day you were born and all the days that have passed in between. Today is a day for us to tell you all the ways you have touched and blessed our lives with your story. Thank you for all the memories of wonderful family trips, for the personal time you have spent with each of us helping to mold us into the people we are, and guiding the people we will become. Thank you for being supportive and loving through all of life’s’ stumbles, change in directions, and missteps. Your kindness, compassion, and love is the best gift. Today I want to tell you that I think you are a man to be admired, a father to be adored, a disciple to be followed, and a grandfather to be loved. That is just so Bear. I love you!!!!

Bear, you are in my heart today tomorrow and forever. I hope I can continue to make you proud. You will always be missed and never forgotten, for you have left footprints on all of us. You have left memories in our heads, love in our hearts and I could never ask for anything more.