My Pops

So, this week is the 9th anniversary of when I lost my stepdad. I'm a terrible daughter...I don't remember the exact date. I remember every single moment and detail of that day, but not the exact date.

My stepdad was a man of many talents and interests. He had a stubborn Irish temper and kind and gentle heart. He loved his family so much. He was a police officer, fireman, fire chief, civil air patrol pilot and a rescue diver. He had a HUGE collection of books. So big, when we finally convinced him it was time to go through the books and make the collection much smaller, it took us all day! He was the man that held the hand of a truck driver that was pinned in his truck while he died and the man that single handedly ended a bar fight. He was tough and when he was on the job, he never showed he was scared. This tough man also wrote poetry, cried at sad movies and when his children or step children were hurting he would cry with them too. He is also the biological grandfather of my children (long confusing story!)...and they definitely got his stubborn Irish temper!!

He loved my mom more than life itself. They originally met when I was a very small girl and my sister was a toddler. They ended up breaking up and moved on with their lives. Years later, they got back together and realized they had been loving each other for those 17 or 18 years they spent apart.

He and my late husband had a very special bond. It was a bond that was as close as a father and son. When Pops passed away, my husband was devastated. And I know when my husband passed away, Pops was there to take him in his arms.

It's been a rough few days. I've been missing my pops and my husband a lot. This week I made the decision to get rid of some things that meant a lot to me. I won't say what it was or why I did it...it's way too personal, but I will say it was a very difficult decision. But, it is just another step of moving on and I can't take the material things with me when I go.

I love you Pops and I miss you!