It’s been another few weeks of thoughts and craziness running through my head. So blog time it is…

Yesterday after over two months of ups and downs with his health my grandfather passed away after 90+ years on this Earth. Through this past few months and before that my family (especially my mom who I’m pretty sure is the best Mom out there) rallied around him when he needed us. As much as none of us wanted him to suffer it’s never easy. Never. I can’t say it was sudden but can say we all didn’t see it coming yesterday that’s for sure. You always think (and maybe it’s more of a want) there is more time. One more day, one more week, one more hour.

I was blessed in my life to have 5 grandparents (my Dad’s mother remarried and I had a step-grandfather as well). 3 of which saw me get married and 2 made it to meet Maddy, though my one grandmother passed shortly after. It hurts my heart to know that some of my younger cousins won’t have that, though there are plenty of us “Supinskis” around to help celebrate. 27 in fact. My maternal grandparents had 5 children. They all married and are still married. Those children had 10 children. Four of us are married. And Pap Stu has 3 beautiful great grandchildren. And the best part of us? That for most major holidays and some of those non major holidays (like a random summer weekend or skiing last weekend) that we were together. Sometimes it was 10 of us, sometimes it was almost all of us. But we were together. That’s what you call blessed.

Family to me is everything. And always has been. My cousins are brothers and sisters. My aunts and uncles like bonus parents. None of us perfect. All of us still loved. And we aren’t some storybook family. We have had our share of squabbles and problems but none of those matter. Family is family. And we love each other despite our faults.

Pap Stu was one of the kindest and strongest men I have known. He loved his family with everything he had. He bragged about us to everyone. From my mother who was the oldest to Toby who is the newest. Always telling stories and even if you have heard it before he was telling it again. And we would all listen again. He loved my grandmother with his heart and missed her since the day she passed suddenly in 2010. We all pretty much figure when he got to heaven yesterday she said, “Where the hell have you been?” And then took him to the first polka dance they got to.

He would have done anything for any of us. And did. Once when I was younger, I somehow talked him into getting his hair spray painted blue and putting glitter in it. I will say, that was after a few beers at a polka dance!

I inherited lots from him. My migraines with aura, my stomach issues, and I’m sure more health things as well. He used to tell me just have open heart surgery. That fixed his migraines! But it wasn’t all bad. My strength, my stubbornness, my strong love of my family. Parts of all those are from him as well.

My head knows that tonight Pap is no longer in pain. He is with Gram. He is drinking his coffee. Eating fried chicken, fruit, pie, and ice cream. Cuddling with Rusty their dog. Watching a Pirate or WVU game and off to a polka dance later. But tonight my heart just hurts.

So if you still are blessed to have your grandparents. Call them for me. Tell them you love them. And be blessed for the time you have with them.