On top of all of the fears brought about by the novel coronavirus, we all still have issues with which we must deal in our everyday lives. For me, it was an aging grandfather who'd shown some signs of dementia.

I got a message from one of my cousins that my grandfather thought Thanksgiving would be his last holiday.  I immediately began trying to make plans to visit him. But as life would have it, there were so many other things going on that prevented that trip to Chicago.

So, we planned to make a trip during Spring Break.  Unfortunately, COVID-19 began to spread. So, the trip was put off.

I talked to my grandfather earlier this month.  He knew who I was when the conversation started, but in the middle of our talk, he asked, "How old is.... Uhhh…. How old is... Uhhh...  Uhhh… How old is Jade?"

"This IS Jade, Granddaddy!" I'd never heard him that unsure before.

He asked how old a few of my siblings were, and then I asked him, "How old are YOU, Granddaddy?"

In his humorous way, he replied, "That's what I'm trying to figure out now."

We laughed and talked a bit more. Before we ended our conversation, he said, "I love y'all.  I love all of y'all. And I still think about each of you and pray for each of you every day."  Even though he'd begun to lose his memory, I knew he was telling the truth.

My grandfather was a DEDICATED man.  If he committed to it, he gave it his all.  From his faith, to his family, to his country.

Now, he who has always been there is no longer; and with the dangerous nature of COVID-19, his life will still be celebrated but not in the magnitude of which he deserves. Hopefully, he will still receive his military honor.

It's quite hurtful to think about the possibility of not being there for his services, but I think the greatest honor I can give him is to carry on his legacy.

In death, we all generally think about the last time we saw or talked to the deceased and plans we've made to see them again. If we've seen them recently, we have no regrets.  If we haven't, we always wish we had.

Losing a loved one is tough.  Possibly being unable to pay your respects is even harder.  Though I know there are other families in the same position, I wish there weren't.

Not all deaths taking place today are the results of COVID-19, but they are all affected by it. Let's do what we can to flatten the curve.

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