Memorial Manicure

Hi y'all!  I have a very special manicure to show you today, because tomorrow will mark five years since my grandfather's passing.  He and I were extremely close, closer than even my mother and I were.  While the rest of my family was extroverted, Peepaw and I were introverted.  He understood me better than anyone else did, and we had a blast together.

My favorite memories are of Fridays; school ended, I went home, packed up, and impatiently waited for Peepaw to come pick me up and take me to my grandparents' house.  Every other Friday night was Dallas and Knight Rider, with me and my grandmother popping tons of popcorn and stuffing our faces as we watched our favorite shows.  At bedtime, Peepaw would read to me and then we'd sing our favorite songs until I conked out.  Saturday mornings meant me waking up at 4:00 ready and raring to go fishing with my favorite person.  We'd leave the house at 5, and by 10:00 I was begging him to stay just a "little longer".  I still love to go fish just as much now as I did then.  He said I was the most patient fisherman he'd ever seen!  On the other Friday nights, we three would head out to go square dancing!  I couldn't dance, but I sat and watched my grandparents and their friends dance.  It was so much fun, except for the time I got sick and ended up throwing up into their friends' sweater.  Poor Hazel, I'm sorry I ruined it!

This is my favorite picture of my grandparents.  I have my grandfather's old collar points, the ones he was wearing in this:

The fact that they're both wearing my favorite color may or may not contribute to this being my favorite picture of them ;-).

The best memory, the one that will always warm me up and make me smile, is of mine and Peepaw's pansy bed.  He made a flower bed on the side of their front yard, and every spring we would go pick out new pansies to plant, and plant them together.  I loved this time, and even as a teenager would pester him until he agreed to go do it.  He thought I would be too old for it.  No way!  I loved the time we got to spend together doing "little" things.  Peepaw brought a lot of joy to my life.

Not many of you know...actually, none of you do.  My mother died when I was 14, and my grandparents took me in.  I bonded with them even more strongly during this time, and to see both of them become ill broke my heart.  I was there with Meemaw when she passed, but I didn't have the strength to be with Peepaw.  I didn't want his last moments with me to be filled with tears.  I did sing our favorite Peter, Paul, and Mary song: Puff the Magic Dragon, when I knew he was about to leave.

I'm sorry this is so depressing, but it makes this manicure more significant.  I loved my grandfather dearly, and five years after his passing, I still can't talk (or write) about him without crying.  I miss him every day.  Spring lost its brilliancy, because it was in spring that we planted the pansies.

Peepaw, these are for you.

I chose blue because it was Peepaw's favorite color, and the butterflies represent his freedom.  He's no longer in a world of pain, but he's in a place where there is no death and sadness.  I'm thankful that he and I were so close, and that he sacrificed a lot for me.  I can only hope that I've made him, Meemaw, and Mom proud.

Thank you for stopping by, and don't forget to come back on Valentine's Day for Day Five of the 9-Day Nail Art Challenge!