My grandfather's legacy

An hour and a half ago, we packed up my Grandfather Allen and his remaining possessions into my parent's car and a 14-foot UHaul truck. As I write this, my folks are moving him from Richardson—his home for the last 36 years—to Abilene.

Almost a year ago, he sold Alyssa and I his house and moved into his "independent living" apartment of his own free will. At 91, he had lost most of the physical skills necessary to keep up a house by himself. So, with a little encouragement from his children and neighbors, he cheerfully decided to try something new: an apartment where he could still have freedom to come and go as he pleased, but have the added assistance of a staff that served 3 meals a day, a van that could take him on errands to the bank and the grocery store, and assistance with cleaning and laundry.

Being offered the opportunity to buy his house at that time came with mixed emotions. On the one hand, he was offering us a good house in a great neighborhood for a fantastic price. On the other hand, we were sad that he had reached a point that he needed to move and felt a bit like vultures circling over the corpse of a man's life.

But my grandfather is an amazing man. He's everything you could ever hope to be at his age. Kind, thoughtful, generous, jovial, flexible, and a mind like a steel trap. I don't have half the memory he does at a third his age. Come to think of it, my grandfather is everything you could hope to be at any age.

He lost his wife to Alzheimer's several years ago, fighting for 15 years to keep her alive and alert, taking care of her almost single-handedly. He learned to cook, to clean, to do laundry. And for many years, long after she had lost the ability to communicate or call him by name, he got her out of bed each morning, bathed her, dressed her, put her in a wheelchair and kept her by his side. He fed her, brushed her hair and sweet-talked her, even though she couldn't flirt back. He counted it a joy to care for her every last day of her life. And to this day, when he talks about those years, he will only say he wished he could of done more. And he means it.

Today he starts a new chapter in life. His final chapter. The cancer he has struggled with for years has been especially hard on his body in the last few months. And with the encouragement of his children, his neighbors, his nurses and his friends, he has agreed to move again, to get more help, and to be nearer to his daughter. As always, his spirit is unbending. The outpouring of love for him this past week has been breathtaking. His nurses cried to see him go. His 30-year-old financial planner came twice this week to say goodbye. His old neighbors (now my new neighbors) have hugged and kissed him and told him how much he is already missed.

I guess it's true that in life, you reap what you sow.

I am humbled and honored to live in this house, where such a legacy of love exists. My grandfather took each of his marital vows to heart, and loved and cherished my grandmother in sickness and in health, until death parted them. The most challenging days for those vows happened in these halls, and love remains here.

Please pray for my grandfather in his new home in Abilene. Pray that he will find the same outpouring of love and friendship in his new caretakers and neighbors that he has found here. He has earned every ounce of love shown to him, and there are jewels in his crown, waiting for him in Heaven.

And pray for me, that I can carry on the mantle handed down to me by my grandfather, and that I do my part every day to continue the great tradition of love in this house. Pray that I can love Alyssa more deeply and with more commitment every day of our lives.