Grandpa Murdock

 Ralph Ervin Murdock

Feb. 29, 1929-April 21, 2013

MY GRANDPA

My sweet grandpa finished his fight with illness after illness this past week.  I have watched my grandpa go up and down with his health over the past few months.  I have watched him get skinny and weak and watched him go from being able to get around by himself to barely being able to whisper words.  My grandpa and I became pretty tight over the past couple of years as we got to know each other better while going through not only his health trials, but my grandmas as well.  Grandpa means the world to me and to my sweet kids.  I don't know very many 33 year olds that still have all their grandparents.  My kids have 3 sets of great-grandparents.  WHAT A BLESSING!

Grandpa Murdock will be missed!

This is my daddy and my grandpa.  Grandpa Murdock is my mom's dad....but he meant the world to my dad as well as my mom.  I love that I caught this picture.  It is the one that makes me cry each time I see it.

Rhett on the left and cousin Tyce on the right.  The kids would all go see grandpa during the viewing and then run and play and then come back and check on grandpa and then head off to play again.  They would do it over and over and I loved that I caught these two having a little conversation as they checked on grandpa.  The last time I took my kids to see grandpa exactly one week before he died he looked better than I had seen him for weeks.  He sat in his wheelchair and talked to me and the kids for over an hour.  He told us all about having to drink 10 rootbeers to get grandma to go out with him. :) My kids love that story and the many others (especially the ones about bears) grandpa told!

And here is my little Laiklie buddied up with Grandma Murdock.  Laiklie has become very tight with my grandpa and grandma Murdock.  Because they have had health problems over the past few years and Laiklie not being in school yet she was able to tag along everytime we would go to and from doctors appointments or hospital visits.  Laiklie has become their little piece of sunshine and they have become some of her best friends.  I love that not only was she there for my grandma, but my grandma was there for her as they said good-bye to grandpa.

 The day of the funeral there were seriously 60 mph winds.  It was HORRIBLE!! We were very short and sweet at the cemetery because of the wind and cold.  This is one of the only pictures I got of my sweet mom on the day of her dads funeral. (Last chair, back row in the gray)  She AMAZES me! She has been taking care of her parents day-in-and-day-out for several years now.  She is the closest of the siblings and because of that takes on the majority of the responsibility.  She has such a love for her parents.  I have watched this all take a toll on my poor sweet mother and with this door closing it opens several more that I know worry/stress her.  But because she is the lady that she is she will keep pushing forward serving to the end.  My grandpa told me over and over again (as well as grandma too) how much my mom means to them.  They have an incredible love for her and I know grandpa will be there supporting her as she continues to take care of grandma.

I love this picture of my 3 brothers and several of my cousins. (Shane, Josh, Aaron, Jason, Cody and Travis) What a great day celebrating the life of my sweet grandpa.  The thing my grandpa told me as I left his hospital room or apartment each time I left was to keep my kids in the bend of my arm.  He told me if they weren't in the bend of my arm they weren't were they were suppose to be.  I LOVE that reminder of what is important in life.  To grandpa family was important and I will always remember his example of love for each of us. I will miss you grandpa!  See you when I get there!