Six years ago today...

Today is March 6th. That means that today marks six years since my dad passed away from the horrible disease called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS for short. It's also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Dad was only 44 years old when he left us all too soon. He'd only just been diagnosed with ALS less than five months before his passing. He went so fast that our heads were spinning during those last months. I still remember the daze we seemed to be walking around in the days after his funeral. It took about a week before my emotions finally settled enough to allow me to feel the sting of our loss.

However, we made it through. Each year the pain gets less and less. Each year I find myself sobbing for him less and less. I still miss him, but the hole in my heart has gotten smaller; less raw and painful. I long for the days when he would toss my oldest into the air and she would yell, "Again Papaw! Again!" I feel saddened by the fact that my youngest never met him and my middle was too young to remember him.

We miss you Dad. I hope that you're happy and healthy, where ever you may be. :-)

Ricky Lane Grant

November 2, 1958 - March 6, 2003

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