Monday, January 29, 2007

So Glad I Called

My grandfather (dad's side) suffered a massive stroke last week and is not expected to make it through the week. He is completely paralyzed on his right side, and is unable to talk.

I never quite knew what to call him, so I just avoided calling him anything. He was my dad's stepfather, so I referred to him as J.D. if I needed to say something about him. But regardless, he was my grandfather. Even if I never quite figured out what to call him.

I wrote about him in October 2005, saying:
When my step-grandfather on my dad's side showed up at my Nikah (Muslim wedding ceremony) and gave me my grandmother's beautiful diamond ring, I was deeply moved. Here was this man, not my blood relation, hugging me and telling me that he knew he wasn't my biological grandfather, but he loved me like a granddaughter. He has many, many biological grandchildren, but he picked me for one of Granny Margrett's most precious possessions. And he will never know how much that moment inspired me to be a better stepmother to Ariana.

He heard about the post and read it. He loved it; I was glad.

In the past year or so, he started doing some rather odd things. I was kind of ticked off, and didn't return his calls.

And when my mom went to hajj, one of the things I asked her to pray was to remove grudges from my heart. And sure enough, while she was gone, one of the things I decided to do was call J.D.

I picked up the phone and talked to him earlier this month. We said how much we loved each other and talked about this and that. I am so very happy I made that call.

Because now it would be too late...and so I will always remember that time does run out, and I just barely beat it this time. Next time, I won't wait so long.

Update: He passed away early this morning, February 1.

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posted by Anisa @ 12:05 PM |

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