Life, Death, and all that comes in between...and by the way, we are on Week 17.

Not 24 hours after the little life was once again confirmed living in my body, did we lose the life of another. On Wednesday, May 20, my grandfather passed away due to respiratory failure/asphyxiation in the brain. Basically, his heart stopped beating, he stopped breathing, and his brain did not have enough activity left to sustain life. He was on support for three days, but on Wednesday with almost 10o% of his family present at Moses Cone Memorial Hospital, plus members of our "adopted family," he was taken off life support and passed away.

What a week this has been. The past 7 days have been nothing short of hopeless, yet also inspirational...devestating, yet uplifting...unbelievable, yet a reality check. Wednesday night, my cousin, Jessica, and I went down to eat a late dinner at the hospital and found ourselves looking for God's grace and mercy in all that was happening one floor above us.

We found the following:

1. My brother and his girlfriend came up for an inpromtu visit Mother's Day weekend from Florida. That Sunday, the 10th, we had all my grandparents over for brunch, where Eric and my grandfather spoke at length about any and everything. Had Eric come a different weekend, who knows if we would have gotten together with my grandparents, but Eric had one last visit with Grandpa.

2. On May 12th, for my grandparents' 53rd wedding anniversary, my grandmother's brother and his wife surprised them by driving down to visit. They had not seen each other in YEARS, so this visit was so exciting. They left Sunday evening, May 17th, around 8pm. My grandfather was admitted to the hospital just a few hours later.

3. My cousin, Alex, graduated from high school two Fridays ago. Because he was at Early College, his graduation was much earlier than a normal high school graduation. We had his party on Sunday afternoon, May 17th, where my family gathered at High Point City Lake Park. My grandfather was there in all his glory surrounded by his (rather large) family. That was the last time most of us saw him conscious. Had Alex been at a "regular" high school, we would not have had this special reason to gather May 17th. Again, my grandfather was admitted to the hospital that night.

4. My grandfather suffered from Parkinson's Disease for almost 15 years. There could have been many paths that God could have taken him on in his final years, months, etc. But God showed mercy on this man and allowed his death to be quick and somewhat comfortable. In one week to have attended a picnic, visited with out of town relatives, and watched your favorite programs on TV to have then breathed your last surrounded by your loving wife and five children. His life was full until the last day, and now his next life is filled with health, happiness, and the promise of everlasting life.

So many things to be thankful for, yet so much to mourn. I thank God for 29 years with four grandparents, especially for 29 years with a man that taught us all how to laugh, love, live, and "close a good deal."