It can really be heartbreaking for someone to lose his grandpa, especially if he has grown close to him. Death can be something that you would see coming for aged people but it is still devastating to know that your grandfather would be departed from you permanently.I think grandchildren have a special vantage point. By the time we meet our grandparents, they’ve probably made most of their mistakes and learned most of their lessons. Their secret journey, unobserved by others, has imperceptibly carved itself into their faces. When a little child looks at grandpa he knows who he is…maybe in his innocence he even catches of a glance of his eternal face.A face that has seen through immense amounts of hardships,pain,suffering. A life that has untold stories which has seen him gain worldy wisdom the way it was meant to be delivered...the hard way.A child will always hold two people as heroes in life..their dad and their grandpa. To me, if there's any way to describe a hero...it definitely is my grandpa.
Henry James once said " Sorrow comes in great waves…but it rolls over us, and though it may almost smother us it leaves us on the spot and we know that if it is strong we are stronger and as it passes and we remain".My grandpa never liked to be the center of attention. If he were with us now, he would want us to take the focus off him and put it on us. He would not want us to focus on the sadness of his death, but instead look at the happiness we still have in our lives. He would want us to look at each other and appreciate what we have together and what we hope to make better..
My grandpa had seen his fair share of pain, hurt and grief in his eight decades of life.But, the only way I can ever remember seeing him, is with that trademark sheepish grin and a resolute smile. He always preferred to take the bull by the horn rather than give it the time to maul it. My grandpa was a matador, a bold, brave and charismatic one at that..who took on whatever life threw at him heads on. He was bold and headstrong, and nothing could ever shake him in his path. He sacrificed a lot for the upkeep of his family..the results having been shown as his children...a doctor, an MBA graduate, an engineer. 30 years of sacrificed family life, a son who commited suicide and a spate of court cases accusing of things he'd never done...didnt deter him or shake the way he lived his life. He'd live it the way he chose to..whether someone else liked it or not.He was the invisible strength in our lives.
I also think that there are lives that are so whole that when they end, you realize they’ve told the story of all of our lives. Thankappan Sir, my grandfather, had that kind of life. As I knew him, he was handsome and debonair and defiant; and he had his own brand of funny. If you listened to him you found he was a deep thinker with a penetrating and progressive mind. He felt deeply, we all knew that, even though we respected the veil he often tried to put over his feelings. Most amazing of all to me, he didn’t seem the sort of person who simply let life happen to him. He was always an actor in it. We all know about the amazing amount of knowledge he discovered in the last ten years of his life alone.I saw him progress from being this suave gentleman to a man who accepted his end with a smile. The last thing I remember him saying was "I know it s my time to go, i know my brain does not function the way it's supposed to.. and i know i might not live much longer...but, I got a hell of a kidney...and i'm gonna live even if it s by that". My grandpa was a madman, a madman who realised the chaos in his life, and lived it by bringing the chaos around him in order.
Grandpa always loved good things. And I think for me that defines him most…he was someone who adored goodness. He founded a thriving, happy family, and he married a lovely, accomplished lady. He fathered 4 good children and had a set of grandchildren who loved him to death. He loved his malt whisky as much as he loved his toddy. He liked his perfume as much as he loved his beauty products. He used to spend his nights, preening himself, like a great emperor penguin, meticulously combing the salt and pepper wolverine style hair [unintentional of course]. He loved money...money was power to him...according to him, he didnt want to live in an age where he was reduced to the mercy of his children. He loved keeping large sums of money safely tucked away in his bag in his brittle wooden cupboard.Unlike a normal mallu, he detested his rice. He loved chapatis and went ape over meat. He liked stuff from the bakery and always had a sheepish grin and a hearty laugh when he used to sneak and have his favorite savories.He was fiercely independent and used to do all his daily chores, until a week ago. He was a God fearing man, who never started his day without praying and smearing his body with holy ash. He loved classic music..and even though he just knew a single song..which he hummed for about 40 years..he loved singers. He used to make us sing even though we croaked..because, he saw music despite all the horror pouring out of our vocal chords.He loved the good things of this life; and then when he finally stood on the threshold between worlds, and looked into that life that invisibly penetrates this one, he seemed to see, more clearly than many of us who talk about God all day long, the Good. He saw what was Good. And just as intelligently and eagerly as he embraced living this life, he then embraced the Good of the life to come.
“You can’t stop being yourself.” That was one of the last things I said to him. And I think for those of us who love him, that might stand for the whole story. For us grandkids, for all who knew him, he’ll never stop being Thankappan.At the end of the day,I am proud to say that when it comes to my grandfather I have no regrets. We spent time together and got to know each other well. He enriched my life with his love, generosity and sharp wit. I’m sure if he were today, he would say that he had no regrets about all the play time he shared with his seven grandchildren.Grandpa always said that his grandchildren kept him young at heart. That made us feel good inside. I can see that my mother got her fun loving spirit from grandpa. He was a great teacher to have, not only for my mom and us, but also for everybody. He loved being a parent and grandparent. It was his calling in life.
Today, I celebrate the life of a man who was a pillar of strength ..I toast his exceptional graph in life, his chutz-pah, his guts and overall, the way he lived his life..helped everyone..harmed noone...loved everyone..and hated noone..Today,I do not feel loss, I feel a considerable boost my strength from him being by my side..Today, I welcome him to watch us over our shoulders..my angel, My Grandpa. I will miss your bear hugs, and roaring laugh. You were a wonderful role model in my life, and a great friend. When I am up beside you, be sure to remind me that I owe you quite a few lakhs of rupees and of course, 6 bottles of Chivas Regal. I hope you accept that as gratuity for all the wonderful memories that you gave me.
Love u 2 death,Grandpa
Grandpa…
May God rest your soul.
May Angels escort you to your place
May the name of the Lord be ever on your lips Sir
May these eyes that closed in death open upon Life Eternal.
:D ....AAAPPPPOOOOPPAAAAHHH.... :D
Henry James once said " Sorrow comes in great waves…but it rolls over us, and though it may almost smother us it leaves us on the spot and we know that if it is strong we are stronger and as it passes and we remain".My grandpa never liked to be the center of attention. If he were with us now, he would want us to take the focus off him and put it on us. He would not want us to focus on the sadness of his death, but instead look at the happiness we still have in our lives. He would want us to look at each other and appreciate what we have together and what we hope to make better..
My grandpa had seen his fair share of pain, hurt and grief in his eight decades of life.But, the only way I can ever remember seeing him, is with that trademark sheepish grin and a resolute smile. He always preferred to take the bull by the horn rather than give it the time to maul it. My grandpa was a matador, a bold, brave and charismatic one at that..who took on whatever life threw at him heads on. He was bold and headstrong, and nothing could ever shake him in his path. He sacrificed a lot for the upkeep of his family..the results having been shown as his children...a doctor, an MBA graduate, an engineer. 30 years of sacrificed family life, a son who commited suicide and a spate of court cases accusing of things he'd never done...didnt deter him or shake the way he lived his life. He'd live it the way he chose to..whether someone else liked it or not.He was the invisible strength in our lives.
I also think that there are lives that are so whole that when they end, you realize they’ve told the story of all of our lives. Thankappan Sir, my grandfather, had that kind of life. As I knew him, he was handsome and debonair and defiant; and he had his own brand of funny. If you listened to him you found he was a deep thinker with a penetrating and progressive mind. He felt deeply, we all knew that, even though we respected the veil he often tried to put over his feelings. Most amazing of all to me, he didn’t seem the sort of person who simply let life happen to him. He was always an actor in it. We all know about the amazing amount of knowledge he discovered in the last ten years of his life alone.I saw him progress from being this suave gentleman to a man who accepted his end with a smile. The last thing I remember him saying was "I know it s my time to go, i know my brain does not function the way it's supposed to.. and i know i might not live much longer...but, I got a hell of a kidney...and i'm gonna live even if it s by that". My grandpa was a madman, a madman who realised the chaos in his life, and lived it by bringing the chaos around him in order.
Grandpa always loved good things. And I think for me that defines him most…he was someone who adored goodness. He founded a thriving, happy family, and he married a lovely, accomplished lady. He fathered 4 good children and had a set of grandchildren who loved him to death. He loved his malt whisky as much as he loved his toddy. He liked his perfume as much as he loved his beauty products. He used to spend his nights, preening himself, like a great emperor penguin, meticulously combing the salt and pepper wolverine style hair [unintentional of course]. He loved money...money was power to him...according to him, he didnt want to live in an age where he was reduced to the mercy of his children. He loved keeping large sums of money safely tucked away in his bag in his brittle wooden cupboard.Unlike a normal mallu, he detested his rice. He loved chapatis and went ape over meat. He liked stuff from the bakery and always had a sheepish grin and a hearty laugh when he used to sneak and have his favorite savories.He was fiercely independent and used to do all his daily chores, until a week ago. He was a God fearing man, who never started his day without praying and smearing his body with holy ash. He loved classic music..and even though he just knew a single song..which he hummed for about 40 years..he loved singers. He used to make us sing even though we croaked..because, he saw music despite all the horror pouring out of our vocal chords.He loved the good things of this life; and then when he finally stood on the threshold between worlds, and looked into that life that invisibly penetrates this one, he seemed to see, more clearly than many of us who talk about God all day long, the Good. He saw what was Good. And just as intelligently and eagerly as he embraced living this life, he then embraced the Good of the life to come.
“You can’t stop being yourself.” That was one of the last things I said to him. And I think for those of us who love him, that might stand for the whole story. For us grandkids, for all who knew him, he’ll never stop being Thankappan.At the end of the day,I am proud to say that when it comes to my grandfather I have no regrets. We spent time together and got to know each other well. He enriched my life with his love, generosity and sharp wit. I’m sure if he were today, he would say that he had no regrets about all the play time he shared with his seven grandchildren.Grandpa always said that his grandchildren kept him young at heart. That made us feel good inside. I can see that my mother got her fun loving spirit from grandpa. He was a great teacher to have, not only for my mom and us, but also for everybody. He loved being a parent and grandparent. It was his calling in life.
Today, I celebrate the life of a man who was a pillar of strength ..I toast his exceptional graph in life, his chutz-pah, his guts and overall, the way he lived his life..helped everyone..harmed noone...loved everyone..and hated noone..Today,I do not feel loss, I feel a considerable boost my strength from him being by my side..Today, I welcome him to watch us over our shoulders..my angel, My Grandpa. I will miss your bear hugs, and roaring laugh. You were a wonderful role model in my life, and a great friend. When I am up beside you, be sure to remind me that I owe you quite a few lakhs of rupees and of course, 6 bottles of Chivas Regal. I hope you accept that as gratuity for all the wonderful memories that you gave me.
Love u 2 death,Grandpa
Grandpa…
May God rest your soul.
May Angels escort you to your place
May the name of the Lord be ever on your lips Sir
May these eyes that closed in death open upon Life Eternal.
:D ....AAAPPPPOOOOPPAAAAHHH.... :D
