In loving memory of my grandfather

Moving to a different country is wonderfully exciting, but when a crisis hits a family, the distance between countries becomes painfully apparent. About two weeks ago my cousin, who also lives here in London, sent me a message asking if I had spoken to my mother. I knew immediately that something was wrong. I phoned my mom straight away. She told me everything was ok, but my grandfather had had a heart attack. He was in the hospital; stable but still critical. I felt helpless not being able to be there to see him; and also helpless that I couldn’t be there for my mom. Moving away from my family unit was a difficult decision to make. It is one of the biggest reasons most people move back home. We kept in contact with Skype and numerous messages, but I have never felt further away from home than in these last two weeks.

When my granddad passed away he was surrounded by his five children and his grandchildren. Fred Greeff was a beautiful man who loved his “Spouse”, my grandmother Yvonne Greeff, more than anything in the whole world. They made me believe in Soul Mates. They had a gorgeous marriage, were still loving and considerate and I never heard a nasty word spoken between them; and they still held hands right up until the day my gran passed away in 2006.

My granddad was a man of incredible character and love. He was a REAL gentleman. I never saw him lose his temper. He was always so grateful for everything in his life and could often be heard saying that, “This was the BEST dinner/ concert/ picnic/ etc,” that he had ever had.  He was an example to all his children and grandchildren of how to live by faith and love our Lord. He has left a legacy behind of a family that loves each other and will always be there for each other. My grandparents’ marriage will always be an inspiration to me personally, and although we will always miss him; it is reassuring to know that he is now at peace and full of joy for all eternity with my gran and our Lord.

We weren’t planning on going to the funeral because of finances. I was going to be the only grandchild absent from the funeral. I wrote a goodbye letter to my grandfather to be read out during the service. I sent it to my brother for a proof reading. He phoned back and offered to buy me a plane ticket instead. My family is awesome! Because of my brothers generous heart I got to say goodbye to my granddad, and all of his 5 children and 14 grandchildren were there. Every one of us had a part in the funeral; it was wonderful to see my granddads legacy.

Thank you Grandpa for the beautiful memories. Thank you for all the laughter, the family holidays and for always being there for us. Thank you for the example you have set for me. I am grateful that I was witness to such a beautiful marriage and that I knew such an incredible man. I will miss you always.

Goodbye.