The Lovin' Up of Life: Heroes

I have been blessed with a ridiculous number of amazing people in my life. I don't know what I did in the pre-existence to deserve it, but nonetheless, I am grateful. I have had some of the best friends a girl could wish for, loving brothers and sisters, and parents that raised me right. My favorite people in the world are the people in my family, immediate and extended.

I have amazing grandparents on both sides but I have chosen to dedicate this post to my mom's parents, they will forever be two of my BIGGEST heroes. They have worked hard their entire lives. Owning the mortuary kept them very busy, but something they always made a point to do, was to spend time with their family. Now, they are old and their family is no longer just their 6 kids, but a whole slew of grandkids and now 9 great-grandkids.

I have never known my grandpa to be healthy. He has had parkinson's disease for about 25 years now, longer than I've been alive. Most people with that disease don't typically live longer than 15 years with it. 5 years ago, he was diagnosed with leukemia on top of that. The doctors gave him a year to live. He proved them wrong and kept plugging along, still finding ways to work hard at home and love his family in any way he could. This last November, he was diagnosed to with type II diabetes on top of the other two diseases. He reached the point last summer where the doctor basically said, go home and live it up, because there was nothing else he could do to help. He keeps an amazing attitude about the entire situation. I have never once heard him complain about any of his pain or discomfort. He shows amazing love for my grandma and our family. Everytime he has an opportunity, he tells us the story about how he found heaven, aka, meeting my grandma and having a family. He makes it known to us on a regular basis that we are worth more to him than any fortune he has ever made. He and my grandma lead a very humble life, choosing to bless others with their wealth, rather than live immaculate lives, flaunting their wealth. As I have met certain people in my life, I think they could learn a great deal from this.

My Grandma is amazing as well. I have watched her recently and been able to figure out where I get some of my characteristics, it's kind of fun. She is without a doubt, the most caring person I have ever met. She loves letting people tell her anything and everything. She feeds you til you are full beyond all reason, then she offers you dessert, and then she sends leftovers of the entire meal home with you. She takes great care of my grandpa, which is a lot of work these days with all the pills he has to take, him not being able to drive, etc. She too, has never complained about any of it. She even finds positive things to say about the whole situation, it is amazing. She has always been overweight with asthma but in the last few years, she started doing water aerobics and lost a lot of weight, helping her body to be more healthy. A couple of weeks ago, out of no where, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. This came as a huge shock to us because we have never had anybody related to us have breast cancer, but now it is in our maternal genes, which is a problem. They gave her the option to just remove the lump and then she would have to have radiation 5 days a week for 5 weeks, which wasn't practical because of where she lived, and where the hospital was, and the fact that she would have to leave grandpa and awful lot. Her other option was to have the whole infected breast removed and then that would hopefully be it. That's the option she chose so that she could take care of grandpa. We held a family fast and met together with all the cousins and everybody to break it and give her and grandpa blessings. When my uncle gave her a hug and started crying in her arms, she looked at him with great confidence and faith, and said, "I feel good about this, it is going to be ok." What a woman. Even when she is the one physically suffering, she still puts all of her effort into loving and comforting those around her. The surgery went well, the doctors are confident they got all the cancer, and her recovery is going great.

These two people are amazing, I love them. I have learned lessons from them that I don't think anybody else could ever teach me, the first being unconditional love, for each other, and for anybody and everybody around them. I frequently tell people in my family, that if I find a man that will love me half as much as my grandpa loves my grandma, I will be a happy girl. Knowing that one of them could leave us anyday, doesn't scare me one bit because I know they are both going straight to the celestial kingdom, where I can be reunited with them one day and have them forever. Meanwhile, I will follow their example and try everyday to be more like my heroes.