No more No No

I contemplated writing this blog. Where do I begin? How do I start? This blog was set up for the purpose of enjoying our journey as a family, so of course with all good news in life, sometimes there are times of sorrow. My grandfather passed away. Was it a shock? Not in the least. But does it still bring a tickle to my nose and tears in eyes when I think about it--absolutely. Death is never easy to take, even if it has been a long time coming. One thing to explain about my grandfather---the best way to sum it up--he was an obnoxious twit. I know I know I know..everyone out there gasped a little..but up in heaven he is chuckling a bit at that statement, and I say that in a loving way. He would have fit in PERFECTLY with Jack Lemon and Walter Matthau in Grumpy Old Men. He soooo would have put a fish in the back of someones car..just to get a little laugh at the poor sucker who woke up the next morning to get in and have a horrible smell. He was a jokester. There are tons and tons and tons of stories that I could saturate my blog with--but I will spare you. In every "prank" there was a always a lesson to be learned. I remember as a kid he stuck us outside while babysitting us..in the freezing cold..with a stick in hand, a bag in the other...and our objective: To catch a snipe....now I know I am not the only one who was suckered into this. Look up hunt>snipe. Wikipedia will give you an indepth look at what is known as the "fools errand". Anywho...my cousins and I were outside, looking for some kind of creature that would "glow" and we would need to touch it with our stick, it would roll up like a rolly polly..then we push it into our bag. Unfortunately, after what seemed like forever of teeth chattering, blue lips and a frozen runny nose...we all failed and came back empty handed. Now given, one purpose of this was to keep us entertained while the adults had "adult time"...but I also remember--after thawing out--having a chat with my grandfather. He explained that we dont always find what we are looking for, but it's when we are not looking--thats when we find what we need--not what we want--but what we need. That always stuck with me. Even thought I will NEVER find one of those darn snipes..hahahaha. There are plenty of stories that we have heard over the years that kind of makes you think "omigosh..did he REALLY do that??"..and undoubtedly the answer would be yes. But I loved him regardless..all his ornery tendencies..he was full of love and life lessons.

Why the title??? When my cousin was starting to talk...my grandfather made quite the impression on her. She named him Grandpa No No...and it stuck. It was perfect. One thing that is so remarkable and makes his passing easier: he died with Jesus in his heart. That was a long, bumpy road. He was religious and at some point in his life he and God went crossways and that was that. It took him being on his death bed to come around. I do believe that God knows you cannot simply talk the talk but must walk the walk---any time in your life. He always had it hidden in his heart, but he truly confessed it from his death bed and FINALLY let all of those walls come down. So I am not sad, i'm thrilled that he is up in Heaven, out of pain, enjoying everything with my grandmother again!