Papa Joe

Thank you all so much for you kind words. I am still somewhat in shock and don't know how to process this yet. How do you sum up 83 years of an incredible man's life in one blog post? I woke up this morning and could hardly remember what I posted yesterday. It was the longest day of my life. And the shortest day of his, now that I think about it...

The house is so quiet without him, and not at all in a good way. No more buzz of a loud television for a man who had damaged his hearing as an engineer for the bomber squadron in the war. No more hum of the oxygen machine that kept him breathing, after years of breathing in fumes from being a house painter. No more booming voice that had selflessly rushed into burning houses and buildings to save people in his days of being a fireman.

Whenever you lose someone, you lose part of yourself. I have lost all four of my grandparents, and both of Ralph's grandfathers, and those days stay with me forever. My heart aches for Grandpa Valentine, Grandpop Guie, Gram Valentine, Grandmom Guie, Papa Paul and now Papa Joe. A part of me died with each of them. My heart grows and heals each day I spend Jake, and I see him growing the hearts of my mother and father and of my mother-in-law and my father-in-law. As life goes on, we grow a little and we die a little, but we just keep going.

I take comfort in knowing that they are all together in Heaven, and that someday I will be there with them too, in a better place. On Good Friday, Papa went Home, and was reunited with his wife Josephine. I think of all of the loved ones on the other side - young and old - and I think of the great celebration they are having in Heaven today.