The world lost a fantastic man today.

LINK

What I linked is my prayer/hope network for my Poppy that I posted a good while back. I got the call from my mom at about 5 today that he had passed.

My Poppy was a man's man. He never graduated high school because he punched his principle in the mouth and told him he "didn't need his horseshite" to succeed in life. By God, he didn't. He was married for 50 years to my grandmother. He hunted and fished until he literally couldn't leave the house anymore. He lived life on his own terms.

I went back home two weeks ago for vacation knowing that it was most likely the last time I would see him. We cut up and gave my mom and grandmother fits. The last night I was there before visiting other family, he got out of bed by himself at 7 in the morning to go to the bathroom. He hates people waiting on him, and hated that he needed help. He was still doing it his own way.

That morning, he fell in the bathroom with the door shut. I was in the next room and ran to him. He had fallen against the door, so I had to push him across the floor to get in to him. He hit his head hard, was bleeding from his elbow and forehead, and was confused. I expected to see him for the last time, not pick him up from a pool of blood.

But as I drove home to Missouri a few days later (he had been admitted to the hospice unit), I realized that I was the lucky one. I got a chance to do something very few people get to do. I spent quality time with one of the men that mean the most in my life, before he passed away. And he left on his own terms. He did it exactly as he wanted to.

Please... if any of you take anything from this, let it be that you live your life enjoying the time you have with loved ones. I have a great memory with my poppy before he passed. I am proud of the way he faced his sickness and fought it off several times before he could fight no more. You never know how much time exactly is left for them, or for that matter yourself. Live and love with all you have.

Thank you all for your prayers and good vibes! You have no idea how much they meant to someone who you have never met.