Granddad

In my last blog I mentioned that I hoped something really cool would happen yesterday that way I would have an interesting blog to write about. Well, I would definately not refer to this as something cool, but rather unsettling news. I found out that my granddad was taken to the ER on Friday night by my Mimi because he was having chest pains and feeling lethargic. They admitted him to the hospital in Lubbock where the doctors said he needs to have a pace maker put in because his heart rhythm is irregular. He had the surgery this morning at 8:00.

My granddad is actually in pretty good health considering that he will be turning 87 in September. He does all his own yard work, still shoots the cats that come into his backyard with his beebee gun, and is very active at the First Baptist Church of Lamesa where he and Mimi are members. It's the same church my mom grew up in and married my dad. Granddad suffers from high blood pressure but he takes medicine that keeps it under control. He has had two major surgeries other than today's. When I was a sophomore in high school he had knee replacement surgery on both knees. The first surgery was that summer and the second surgery was during the beginning of the school year. In between his knee surgeries my Mimi found a lump in her right breast which turned out to be cancer. Luckily it was caught in the earliest stage and all she had to do was have a masectomy on her right breast. No chemotherapy or radiation, just the removal of her breast. It was a blessing. Unfortunately she had the surgery the same day as Granddad's second knee replacement. When each of them awoke from their surgeries the first thing they asked my mother was how the other was doing. They were much more concerned about eachother than they were their own selves.

Granddad is the third child of 8 kids. He was born and raised in Lamesa, TX. His dad was a farmer and his mother was a housewife. He had 6 brothers and only 1 sister. He joined the army as a late teenager and was accidentally stationed in Tennessee. Apparently there was another soldier with the last name Kidd who was supposed to go to Tennessee but they got them mixed up and sent my Granddad instead. While in the army, his mother gave birth to twin girls who died a few hours later. She actually had a total of 10 children. They were born too early and she was too old to be having babies. While in Tennessee Granddad met a girl named Faye McCulloch (Mimi). Faye's father did not want her to date a soldier but then he met Granddad and said he was an exception. They got married and moved back to Lamesa. They had two children, a son named Wayland and two years later, a daughter named Nancy (my mom).

Granddad is my only grandfather that I have ever met. My dad's father died when my dad was only 5 years old. He was killed in an accident at work in the oil rigs. As a child we regularly visited Mimi and Granddad in Lamesa. Granddad was a doting grandfather to all three of us. He would alternate pushing Abby and I on the swing set in their backyard and playing catch with Aaron. He would also play Uno with us and let us win occasionally. I remember when I was 16 he tried to teach me how to drive a standard. He was very very patient considering that I failed miserably.

My granddad is a very special man to me. I was very saddened yesterday and worried after I learned of his need for surgery this morning. I prayed all night long that things would go well. Most importantly I prayed that God would give him peace. I imagine it's not easy being the eldest surviving child of your siblings and having a few minor health problems. I know this is part of old age and that life is never a certain thing, but I hope my granddad never thinks about it and instead just keeps living his life!