Families logo

The Angel

The Story of My Grandfather's Passing

By Shannon MillerPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
Like

Life; one word that can mean so many things. It can mean what you have done in your life or it can mean just living in general; being able to breathe, being able to feel. We forget just how precious life is and what it can mean to us. We go on, day by day, feeling like we are on top of the world and nothing can stop us. Go on feeling invincible and strong. We never think about what might happen in the afterlife or how we might die. We never take the time to hug our loved ones and tell them how much we love them. What if something happened to them? What if they left and never came back? What if they just become another Angel in heaven? Well I lost someone very dear to me and I wish I got to spend more time with him and tell him that he is the strongest person I have ever known. My Grandpa.

It was February 6th, 2014. I geo a call from my dad around 11 AM. He asked, “Do you have your Aunt Cathy’s number?” I said no, so then he asked, “Do you have your Aunt Terri’s number?” Again, I say no.

I grew worried and, not knowing what was wrong, I asked, “Why, what’s wrong?”

Then he said, “I’m going to give you your Aunt Terris number. You need to call her and tell your grandpa goodbye. He's breathing his lasts breaths right now.” A sudden wave of confusion and devastation came over my body and all I could say was "OK." So I called her while I was crying so very hard and she answered the phone, saying “Shannon, you can’t cry. You have to be strong.” So I told her that I would try. She put the phone on speaker but all I could hear was the compressor that was helping him breathe.

I said, “Hi grandpa…I know you’re getting ready to leave...I just wanted to tell you I love you and I miss you and I’m sorry I couldn’t see you more… You know it’s not goodbye….so I’ll see you later… I love you so very much.”

After that, my Aunt told me she loved me and then we hung up. I only cried harder as I dialed my best friend Katie’s number and told her that I needed her, telling her that my grandpa passed away. After she came and got me, my dad called again. I already knew what was coming so I answered and ask in a broken voice.

“Is he gone?”

My dad was silent for a second and then said, “Yes sweetie…he’s gone… he passed just a few minutes ago.”

I tried to breathe but it felt like all the air was sucked out of me. After I hung up with my dad, I cried harder than I ever have in my entire life. The day went by with many tears and a broken heart; touching base with everyone in my family to see how they were taking this. My father, once again, called to check up on me. He told me that I was the last one to say goodbye before he passed. He told me that it probably put him at peace to hear from his youngest grandchild so that he could finally go to Heaven. We knew it was his day to go because he told my aunt that his parents were there to bring him home.

My grandpa’s name is Carl Miller. I say “is” because he is not gone. He lives on in me and my family. My grandpa was always happy to see me; never showed an ounce of weakness and never wanted to do anything that might show him as weak. He never feared anything, not even death. He was a man you could go to for advice and never think twice about how it might affect you; he only told it how it was. My dad would tell me stories about living with my grandpa. One story he told me was about when he cursed in front of my grandpa for the first time. My dad said “as soon as that curse word left my mouth, I ended up across the room from your grandpa hitting me so hard.” His stories always made me laugh. I would always get excited when my dad would say “we are gunna make a stop up in Georgia and see your grandpa.” My grandpa had a really big impact on my life. I looked up to him and loved him so very much. He was the most level-headed person I’ve ever known and probably will ever know. He was great with conversation and advice. It’s still hard to grasp that he is gone. It’s still hard to cope with. Now I have another angel up there watching me with many others. My grandpa will always be in my heart.

grandparents
Like

About the Creator

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.