Grandpa’s Funeral

First Occurrence –

Hi, I’m Dave. David Lee Sanford is the name my parents came up with. I was named after my grandfathers: David Edwards, and Lee Sanford. I wasn’t very close to my Grandpa Lee, but I was named after, and was very close to my grandpa Dave. 

My parents were divorced when I was 2 and my mom had to get a job.  My sister (eight at the time) and brother (five) were both in school.  I needed a baby sitter,  so my mom took me to my grandparents house every morning and picked me up after getting out of work around 5:00.  My grandpa Dave worked until 3:30 every day, so he was home most days before my mom picked me up. 

Hiding and trying to scare grandpa every time he walked in the door was something I looked forward to every day.  Of course, he always acted like I scared him.  One of my favorite things to do was listen to his hunting and fishing stories.  Some of my best early memories are times with my grandpa Dave.

Above is a photo of Grandpa Dave (center) and a couple of his duck hunting buddy’s.

Below is a picture of me at a cabin on the Rifle River owned by my Uncle Don. Grandpa Dave and Grandma Lucy (Grandpa called her Bob) took me up there fishing once.

Sadly, Grandpa Dave passed away when I was 12 years old.  At the funeral, I didn’t want to look in the casket.  I wanted to remember him the way I had last seen him.  My grandma noticed I had not gone up to the casket and came to me and told me to go say goodbye.  I told her I didn’t want to.  She said, “David, you have to go say goodbye, this is the last time you will see your grandfather.”  She took my hand and walked me up to the casket. I walked away as soon as I was able.  When my butt hit the chair, it was as if there was a switch in it that turned on the tears.  I could no longer refrain from crying.  It wasn’t long before I heard a voice say, “What are you crying for?”

Without opening my mouth or speaking, I answered, “My grandpa.”

“He is with Me now”, the voice replied, “you don’t have to cry for him.”

I thought for a second before thinking, “Oh ya… I guess I’m crying for me then, because I’m gonna miss him.”

It was comforting to hear, “That’s okay.”

“It makes me sad knowing I will never see him again,” I said after a brief pause.

“You will see him again” was how my first conversation with God ended. 

Wow…. writing that was painful…  maybe I needed a good cry.