i miss them . . .

It's odd sometimes the random moments when you feel a pang of lonliness, when you realize that certain people who were always there for you are no longer there . . . and the void (tiny or large) makes its presence known again, even if it is only for a second. I had a similar feeling a few moments ago as I was writing. I was just scribbling in my notebook when all of a sudden I thought - I miss them. I really miss them. Both of my grandparents died last spring within a month of each other and it was so hard. I grew up with them. They grew in my heart as I grew from a child to a woman. My grandmother was the sweetest, kindest, most gentle soul that I've ever known, always trying to do just one more thing for me, to help me in any way that she could - even as her body was ravaged by cancer - even during her last days, when I was fortunate enough to be able to visit her. She loved God. She was my angel. My grandfather was one of the most strong, most God-loving, most intelligent men that I have ever known and I will always miss the twinkle in his eye when he called me "kelly boo-boo" and when I paid him a nickel for words of wisdom. I will never forget their funerals. I will never forget seeing their coffins. I will never forget the look on my grandfather's face when he held my grandmother's hand as she lay at rest forever. Their love lasted 54 years. Their unconditional love of me is something that I will always cherish.

I know that they are up in heaven right now and that they no longer feel the pain that ravaged their bodies during the last few years they were here, but as I look over at their photograph, I can't help but miss them.