More times than not people have came into my families life and left footprints on our hearts that time can never erase. This week has been one of those times because, our family said goodbye to several people we loved including a man who meant the world to me. David Sr. David’s dad passed away and even though he is no, longer suffering we miss him.

For me David’s dad was more than a father-in-law to me. He was one of my best friends, a dad figure, a grandfather or papa to Charlie, and one of the greatest men I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. His presence was a gift to our family, and losing him has reminded me how deeply one person can impact the lives around them.

Grief is a strange journey because it is not just about saying goodbye. It is about learning how to live in a world where someone who was always there is no longer physically beside you. Walking into his home and into the living room takes my breath away as I expect to see him sitting in his chair watching NCIS or a Western telling stories I’ve heard a million and one times.

For David, it means learning how to move forward without his dad. For Charlie, it means understanding that his grandpa will no longer be here for the conversations, the stories, and the moments they shared. For our family, it means finding new ways to honor the love that remains. For David’s mom Granny Sherry it means she is alone for the first time in 62 years.

One of the things that has touched my heart the most is watching Charlie hold onto pieces of his grandpa. He has some of Grandpa’s clothes, and he has been wearing them everywhere. Some people might see that as just clothing, but I see something much deeper. Charlie will not bring the clothes into the house because he doesn’t want his dad taking them so he keeps them in his car.

Through this I see a grandson holding onto a connection. I see memories being carried forward. I see love continuing even after someone is gone. That is the thing about family. The love we share does not disappear when someone leaves this earth. It changes. It becomes stories we tell, traditions we continue, photographs we treasure, and little reminders that someone we love was here.

As we begin creating a memorial garden at my mother’s house and helping her go through belongings, we are reminded that every item has a story. Every picture, every keepsake, every handwritten note, and every possession carries a piece of someone’s life. No, matter how long they’ve been gone because Suzzane was called home in 2004 and I still have some of her items and love sharing her story with everyone I know.

Sometimes the hardest part of losing someone is realizing how many memories are attached to the ordinary things. A favorite shirt. A familiar chair which I still have my dad’s chair he would sit in and read his books in. A special recipe like my mom’s Potato Salad. A place where someone always sat which at my mother in laws is my father in law’s recliner.

Those are the things we keep because they remind us that love was real. This season has taught me that grief and gratitude can exist together. We can miss someone deeply while also being thankful for the years we had with them. We can cry because they are gone and smile because they were part of our story.

Life does not always go the way we planned. Sometimes we find ourselves walking through seasons we never expected. But one thing I have learned is that we do not walk through those seasons alone. We hold onto each other. We tell the stories. We remember. We honor the people who helped shape who we are.

Because a person’s legacy is not only found in the things they leave behind. Their legacy is found in the lives they touched and the love they gave. And that love continues. The circle remains unbroken which I thank the LORD for and its also what keeps me moving forward and its why I am grateful, thankful and blessed for my family.

Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates