I Wish My Grandparents Lived to See Me Become an Adult

I want them to know that they played a larger role than I was able to fathom when I was younger

I’m twenty-nine years old and I have no living grandparents.

I’ve never met my grandfather on my Dad’s side — he died long before I was born. My Mom never even met him. My grandmother on my Dad’s side died when I was maybe three or four years old, so I barely remember her.

On my Mom’s side, my grandmother died when I was ten and my grandfather died when I was fifteen.

Out of all of them, the most vivid memories I have are of those of my grandfather on my Mom’s side since he was the person I was able to spend the most time with.

But, even with the time that I did have with him, it still feels like it wasn’t enough.

After my grandmother on my Mom’s side passed away, my grandfather’s health immediately began to decline.

He had emphysema, so when he died pretty much everyone in my family accepted that his death was a result of his condition (along with old age), but deep down I knew that he really died from a broken heart because my grandmother died.