My Hero, My Grandpa

My Hero, My Grandpa

I have so many memories of my hero, my grandpa, but a few stick out in my mind. Ever since I can remember, my grandpa always wore the slippers. He wore shoes too, but at the Sunday dinners at my grandparent?s house, he always wore those slippers. I could hear him as he gently shuffled his way across the hardwood floor and came out of the kitchen to give us all hugs and kisses. The suede slippers were the color of coffee with a dash of cream to lighten them up. On the inside, wool spilled out as if it were trying to escape the slipper. This wool was a slightly lighter tint than the outside. He had to buy the slippers three sizes too large so that he could pad them with socks to make extra cushioning for his aching feet. My grandpa had an extreme case of Rheumatoid arthritis, a disease in which one?s immune system acts against joints and ligaments and causes severe pain and disfigurement. My grandpa experienced this to the extreme. His feet hurt him the most and needed the most attention. Because they were so gnarled, he could not walk as well as a normal, healthy person could. He was an extremely stubborn man and he refused to use a walker. My grandfather?s unconditional love and his strength is what has helped me overcome my fear of death.

He had eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, all of who were his life. Despite his pain, he managed to come to our events whether it was football games, swim meets, or birthday parties. He treated every accomplishment in our lives as if we had just received an Academy Award. Praise is what he gave to each and everyone of us, no matter how small a task we accomplished. Family meant everything to my grandpa, and he was the center of us all fo...

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...en he was alive. I dream about him all the time, and when I do, it is always a dream in which he just appears to let me know that everything is okay.

I do not live my life in fear of dying now. I live my life to the fullest. My grandfather?s unconditional love and his strength is what has helped me overcome my fear of death. There is no use in wasting time, worrying about death in which no one knows when will occur. I have a new outlook on death. Even though I am still apprehensive about it, I no longer worry about what will happen to me after I die for I know who awaits me on the other side, my hero.

My grandma gave me his slippers that he always wore. I wear them all of the time now. It?s strange, but every time I slide my feet where his used to be, I feel him in my heart, and I feel a tremendous wave of comfort, almost like a hug from the heavens.