You would never have seen such a beautiful spring day, the Sun was shining and there was a slight breeze which was just enough to cool you down in the high seventies heat. Everything was starting to come alive, the flowers were blooming vibrant colors and the once bare trees began to fill out once again. In my life that day was nothing like the weather. My day was the complete opposite. It was May 18th, a Friday, when I had to say goodbye to my grandpa one last time.

Grief affects people in different way and at this time in my life I thought the worst grief I would ever experience was when I had to put my cats to sleep. On Sunday May 13th I was about to go to bed when my mom walked in, I thought nothing of it until she said

“Uncle Ed just called us, and Grandpa has passed away.” My whole body felt like it went into shock and all I could wonder was how and why this had to happen. The emotions I was feeling were none like I had ever felt, my tears did not stop until I made myself go to sleep or else I don’t think my mind would ever calm down.

Five days later I was looking at my dads side of the family. The sorrow was painted on all of their faces even the ones who may have never actually really knew my grandpa. As we stood in a big clump of relatives, the feeling we all had started circulating around the beautiful church and was bouncing off one another.  As we sat there and waited for the mass to start my body was tensing up hoping not to lose it like I had been all week. I felt like I was in an alternate universe and I could see and feel what was happening but, my mind was not there and I felt like I was invisible.

As we sat and listened to my dads brothers and sisters talk about the kind of person my Grandpa was I began to think back to the times I had spent with him. The last time I saw him was Christmas Eve, his birthday. That was the best he had been physically and he was so excited to go to church. As we sat in the same church as Christmas Eve, I remember holding his hand and singing, I was singing still but without him. As the final song began to play the sun, which had not been out through the whole mass began to shine through the huge stained glass windows. As the day ended and we all left to go home we began to look back on the day and think about the sun the had beamed through the windows leaving my family thinkin the same thing. My Grandpa was there in the church watching over us, and even though he is not physically with us his spirit is always with my family leading us through life.