I’m out on the water, attempting to catch a wave. I look towards the shore and see my Father and Uncle coming down the stairs. Excitedly I wait until they are close and they can look out to see me try to catch a wave. Here one comes, I try. I ride it in for a while, but soon I fall off my board. That would have been a good one, but I missed it. I look again for another wave; I want them to see how much I’ve improved from that morning. I see them getting closer to my Mother and Aunt and I wait for another wave. The next time I look towards the shore I see the greeting of my parents and Uncle and Aunt. Each time I look they’re still hugging. Then....I realise, I paddle harder, no longer caring about the waves, just wanting to get to shore, and yet, not wanting to hear the news that I think will be waiting for me. I swim harder, and then run through the water, and finally, I’m there. I stand back, not wanting to hear it, not wanting to hear the news we’d been dreading. Tears sting my eyes but I blink them back furiously, thinking that somehow if I don’t cry, maybe I can stop this thing from happening. As I walk closer, my father looks towards me, his eyes red from crying. He says nothing, so I timidly ask “Grandpa died?” he just nods and tears fill his eyes. I can’t stop the tears now. All the adults step back and look at me. They tell me the details; he died about midnight, some family was with him, He is in no more pain. They also tell me not to tell the other children, they’ll tell them first. So I pick up my surfboard, and all else I can carry and walk back towards the car park. I have to look presentable because I’m not the one to tell my cousins and siblings, but I know that if they see me cry they’ll know. So I don’t talk to them much because all I want to do is cry with them. So I wait. The parents come and tell them and it’s like we don’t know what to do now. I hug my cousin and we cry a little. Within just a couple of hours it’s on facebook. My dad reads out the lovely things my aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings have written. On the way home the memories are shared. My mum and her brother and sister-in-law especially remember the good times. How could such a wonderfully fun day end in such a hard sad way? I don’t know who first mentioned it, maybe my uncle ‘Let’s pray together’ so that even we all sit around the lounge room and we go around and pray for one another and the rest of the Coles, and we weep together. There wasn’t a dry eye left in the room, and what a wonderful time it was. We sing psalm 16 together ‘my glory rejoices my heart is made glad. And also my flesh will live safely at ease. For You’ll not abandon my soul to the grave, Your Godly on you will preserve from decay. Life’s path You will show me full joy is with You, Your right hand holds pleasures for me evermore’. On just the day before I prayed and asked God that he might keep Grandpa alive just a few days longer, just until my mum and Uncle get back to America, but he knew better. I am so thankful that my mum and my Uncle and his family were able to be with us. I’m glad we could share memories together, I’m glad we could weep together. And now, as my Grandfather is in the presence of His Lord, he truly has fullness of joy.
