Feelings? ⇒

Last week I learned that my grandfather (grandpa) on my mother's side, was quite ill. He had several serious ailments for quite some time and earlier this week things took a turn for the worse. He had surgery Tuesday (or Wednesday) and that made him much more comfortable and lucid. Last night however, his body decided that enough was enough and he passed away peacefully in his sleep.

Here's the thing, how do I balance my memories of him with the knowledge I have of what kind of person he was? I won't get into it, but he was not a very nice person to many people in my extended family. Not very nice at all. However, I have nothing but good memories of my time with him.

I probably saw him 10 times in my life, as he lived just outside of Toronto in Orillia, so I never got that close to him. However, every time I did see him, I had a great time. He was the one that taught everyone in the family how to play cards. He was the source of my "Holy Beshnarkin'". He used to let me ride on his tractor "Alice" at his farm. He taught me how to hit "the bejesus" out of a croquet ball. He taught me not to talk during a backswing.

I will cherish the good memories and acknowledge his flaws.