"Keep Leaning Forward"

Tomorrow marks a hard day for my family. It was two years ago that my Grandpa passed away. Although we weren't very close throughout my adult life, I loved him very much. It's always sad that when someone passes away, you look back and wish you had spent more time with them, getting to know them, what their interests were, etc. However, I'm insanely grateful that I not only got to say goodbye to him here on this Earth, but that he was part of our wedding, and that we snagged this awesome photo at our rehearsal dinner. You guys, can we talk about how amazing his baby blue eyes are?! I pray our future kiddos inherit those genes!

Last night before bed, I happened upon an old journal under my vanity. When I picked it up, a handwritten letter from my Grandpa fell out. I couldn't believe the timing with it being nearly 2 years after he passed.

The tears started coming before I could even begin reading it, but goodness he had the most BEAUTIFUL handwriting, which always made me smile. Years ago when I was in school, we wrote a few letters back and forth. He had been sick for a long time, and he would occasionally hop on his computer to send me a funny chain email, but for the most part he liked handwritten letters to communicate, which I absolutely loved.

This particular letter will be something I treasure forever. He talked about his old Pentax film camera, told me to always thank a Veteran, and also how proud of me he was for going after my dreams, even though they can be scary. However, my favorite part was how he ended the letter: "Love you. Pay it forward when you can, and keep leaning forward. -Grandpa Phil"

Grandpa Phil, I miss ya.

Have a great day, friends! Thanks, as always, for reading and being supportive!