Poppi

This is the story of a fantastic human who was taken home to be with Jesus far too soon for us. Ten years ago today, Jesus called Poppi, my Father in Law home.  I can't believe he has been gone from our presence that long.  He fought so hard against stomach cancer for 2 years.  I can still hear him say after surgery "I think everything is gonna be ok." I hate cancer!  I hate its stinkin guts! I miss him everyday and still cry for him.  He was the biggest part of our family. He was much like Santa Claus, kinda.  :)  He was always happy, gregarious, loud, larger than life in many ways and like a big kid in many ways.  He was very excitable and enjoyed life to the fullest! He never knew a stranger and always had a kind word for everyone. Frank become a part of our family in July 1996.  I remember the day that Gary asked him, while they were dating and we knew a proposal was on the horizon...."what are your intentions with my mother?"  All the while Gary was trying to keep a straight face.  The look on Frank's face was hysterical, he was so caught of guard, until Gary busted out laughing. How they loved to joke and jab at each other! If I am to be honest, when he first became part of our family, he about drove me NUTS!  He was a die-hard, bleed orange and blue Auburn fan and he was NOT quiet about it.  AND he kept bringing all this Auburn crap to our house for my child!  UGH!  Being a die-hard, bleed blue and white UK fan.....this was unacceptable and annoyed the crap outta me!  Now there was a family member who was louder than me when their team played.  It took me a few years to make peace with the crap continuing to flood into our house and for me to make them my #3 team.  I now wear my very own AU clothes and cheer for them, as long as they are not playing Kentucky!  :) When we found out we were pregnant with Matthew, there was not a happier person than Frank!  He was so excited, SO EXCITED!  When Matthew was born, we made sure that after us, Frank was the first person to hold him.  The bond was cemented.  Matthew was Poppi's eyeball!  He even wore a shirt that said "Matthew's Poppi".  He could not be around that little boy enough! Frank proposed to Gary's mom at a Christmas party that they were throwing and Matthew had to be the star of that.  He was 3 months old at the time, but he with mommy's help, carried the ring to Poppi in front of everyone. How he LOVED Christmas!  He was like the biggest kid at Christmas time and it would make us smile and laugh just to watch him.  We keep a special ornament on our tree to this day for him.   When they told us they were moving to Alabama for work, that was rough, hit us like a ton of bricks.  You would never have known they lived that far away, because they were always back in NC visiting, couldn't be away from grandson for very long.  He used to bug the mess outta me for Matthew to come and stay with them for a month.  What?  A month?  Are you serious?  He finally wore me down and I said after he is potty trained and can say "I miss my mommy, I want to go home" then he can come. When he was 3 years old, he made his first of many trips to Alabama to stay for a month or more.  Never once did he say "I miss my mommy, I want to go home." He was having way too much fun with his Poppi. Inseparable. At the end of my pregnancy with mini-me, I was miserable and couldn't even move from one spot.  Poppi was Matthew's mommy in many ways, hauling him around and feeding him, as Daddy worked night shift.   I don't know what I would have done without him. One of the hardest things I have ever had to watch, was the broken heart of my child and the uncontrollable sobs when he lost his Poppi.  How do you explain cancer to an 11-year-old? I often wonder how different life would have been if we still had him with us.  He was always the voice of reason, the peace and calm, we all went to him for guidance and advice.  I can still hear his voice on the other end of the phone saying "Well, hey."  He would call every time he knew something important was going on.....a doctors appointment, a test, a game, just to see how everything went and make sure everyone was good. He never complained, never let the cancer treatments get him down.  He was still caring and concerned and joking around and still wanting to watch his beloved Tigers play football.  It was so hard to watch him go from being this big man who loved a good steak to weighing 100 pounds, if that. Gary's Mom asked me to speak at the funeral.  Gosh, how did I get through that?  I don't even remember.  I do remember what I said...... When someone would meet Frank for the first time, they immediately knew four things about him.... He loved his wife. He loved his 4 children, including me, because he always treated me like his own. He LOVED his grand babies! And he love his Auburn Tigers! What a glorious celebration met him when he arrived in Heaven!  Praise God! We often joke that he and Jesus shared the best steak ever that night and that they watch Auburn football games together.  I know that Poppi was a believer and had given his life to Christ many years before.  We all take comfort in and have excitement for him, in the knowledge that he is with Jesus everyday and that he is not suffering anymore and one day we will see him again. I love you and miss you everyday, Poppi!