Loss

My Papaw (Mama's Daddy) had a severe heart attack yesterday morning and passed away in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. It's been really sad dealing with the reality of the situation. I hadn't seen my Papaw in a while. Our family's relationship changed after my Memaw passed in 1991 and he remarried. Papaw moved from Southampton County down to Gates County in North Carolina. Everything was the same for a while but at some point he just stopped coming to the Vick family Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve events. I'm not really sure what happened I was too young probably to understand whatever adult drama transpired but I always thought maybe he just replaced us with his new wife's family. When we would go visit there weren't many pictures of us (his grandchildren) and I think somewhere I held resentment because of it. When we were young I spent as much time with my Mama's side of the family that I did with my Daddy's side of the family...which is hard to believe now. I'm still extremely close with some parts of the family but I haven't seen my Aunt Chelle's kids in years. Over the past few years we had been visiting more, but I still wish I would have seen him more than I did now. Life is so precious and you always feel that you'll have more time with people and then they are taken away. He had been having health issues and had to have both his legs amputated. Prior to this I remember the last Christmas Eve Papaw shared with us. It was at my Aunt Chelle's house and he brought his guitar and fiddle. He fiddled "Orange Blossom Special" and my Aunt Debbie and Mama danced around. We were all laughing and singing along with him. He was an amazing man. My Papaw was the state mandolin champion of Virginia in his younger days. He was so gifted with his hands: he could play any instrument and could build anything. I find peace knowing that he is no longer suffering and isn't in pain and that he went quick without being eat up with cancer (like my Memaw) or barely conscious hooked up to machines in the hospital (like my Pop). I know he is up there smiling down on us now fiddlin' and pickin' away :)