True Love Never Dies ❤️

In this post, I am going to talk to you about an experience that changed not just my life, but my whole family’s. Most likely, you probably lost someone close to you… everyone has. Whether it be death, a toxic relationship etc. The pain is unbearable, especially when you were close to the people. But, I am going to tell you a condensed version of a story about my family who lost two family members in a matter of months. You may ask how or why they passed so close to one another? Here’s how:

People say that if you are meant to be with someone, you will eventually find your way back to the person. This is hard to believe at times, because what if the one we are meant to be with just passed us right by or we just messed up the opportunity with someone? How do we know if we are meant to be with one specific person? I don’t think anyone has the answer to any of these questions, but I think this is one of those things where when you know, you just know. But, let me tell you, my grandparents knew.

My grandfather passed away May 16th, 2017. One of the last things my grandpa said to his son and daughter (my uncle and mom) was to make sure to take care of their mother. They promised to do so, and a few moments after he passed.

Soon after this devastation, my grandma was soon diagnosed with a rare form of dementia. Weird, right? It was like my grandfather knew what was happening and what was going to happen. Doctors told my family during this time that my grandmother wasn’t expected to live long. Maybe one year, maybe two years max. We expected the worst, even though we hoped for the best.

As the months passed since his death, the disease my grandma had begun to progress. It was like something in her mind was telling her that my grandpa was gone. Each month, she would forget something else. From forgetting our names, all the way to forgetting how to swallow correctly to her last breath. It was so heartbreaking to watch, and even more heartbreaking to know my grandma’s life was soon coming to an end.

Before my grandma passed away, my grandpa came to me. It is hard for anyone to believe; it is even still hard for me to believe up to this day. I was taking in my dog from the backyard and I saw a man in the neighbor’s yard staring at me. I found myself jumping with fear and running back inside my house. When I looked through my kitchen window, no one was there. A couple hours later, I realized that the man looked very similar to my grandfather but a younger version. A few days later, my grandma was gone.

My grandma died on March 13th, 2018. I would like to think her death was unexpected, but in reality, it was all we were expecting. But, her death was no coincidence, or so my family likes to think. She died almost 10 months after my grandfather. 

My grandparents were together from the time they were 17 and 18 years old. My grandparents lived on opposite ends of the earth, but they met one summer in Upstate New York, not even being able to communicate due to a language barrier. It was truly love at first sight. Apparently, love has no boundaries and what is meant to be will be. After that day in Rochester, love would bring them back to each other over and over again. Even their deaths being so close together shows that nothing can ever keep them apart, not even death.

Hearing many stories since their deaths, I learned that my grandparents were so in love. No matter what life threw at them, they managed to pull through together. I have gone through so many photo albums with my mom, seeing how my grandparents lived their lives to the fullest. Even though both their deaths were thrown at our family, we see that they served their time here and now they are needed elsewhere. 

We still celebrate them today and constantly use things they taught us, including my grandma and her makeup. My graduation would have been the anniversary of my grandfather’s death and I think that just goes to show he is always here with us. Sometimes, my mom even has dreams about them. Even though the pain has been unbearable for all of us and I cannot put into words all the different emotions my family has experienced, my grandparents have taught us all something and that is to be strong.

To my grandparents, I hope to find a love as great as yours someday. Thank you for raising four children and nine grandchildren. I hope you both are drinking lots of Pellegrino and dancing together like there is no tomorrow. Please save us all a seat wherever you are. Both of you taught me so many things including unconditional love. I now learned to never take anything for granted. I love you Nana and Papa…. I am so happy I got to spend time with you and I hope I can spend lots of more time with you in the future.

"You know you love someone when the thought of losing them brings you to tears."

That's the tea

xoxo

Jo 💗