My Grandpa
Christine Coggins

Sometimes he'd give me presents. One special one was a hat that said "Waterford" on it. (Waterford was the small town in Ontario he lived in.) It was yellow and blue. I can still remember the day he gave it to me. He and Grandma were visiting us in Winnipeg. I seemed to like his hat. I was even trying it on. He said that he had many of those hats and that I could have it if I wanted it. I still have that hat.

One time we went to visit him. Grandpa was sick. The doctor thought that he had just had a stroke. I went to his room, and he asked me if I could help him get up. I told him I couldn't, so he tried to get up on his own. Just watching him made me very sad. Then he fell off his bed, so my dad helped him back up.

We stayed for a few days, till Grandpa got worse. We had to call the ambulance, and they took him away.

Later, we found out that he had a brain tumour. They tried to cut it out, but too much was in the brain. We went to visit him in the hospital. Mom and Dad had to go back home.

Weeks passed, and my family and I were driving to British Columbia to see if we could find a house to live in, because my dad's work was moving him there.

When we were at a hotel, Dad phoned Grandma, and she told him that Grandpa had died peacefully in his sleep. She also told us that Grandpa knew he was going to die, because God had given him a vision. The vision was lots of people partying--just like people do in heaven. When Dad told us, I didn't know what to do. I didn't cry really. I didn't know if I was mad or sad.

After we moved, I had a dream, but I think that it was a vision. The vision was that the doorbell rang. Dad answered it, but no one was there. Then I walked into the living room, and as Dad shut the door, Grandpa walked in. Dad stood in front of the bookshelf, and Grandpa was behind him. I told Dad that Grandpa was behind him, so Dad looked, but Grandpa disappeared, and Dad didn't see him. Then I woke up.

That morning, I told Dad. He thought that Grandpa might be trying to say goodbye. I asked Dad why Grandpa didn't say goodbye to him. Dad said that maybe Grandpa needed to see me more than see him, because Grandpa is my dad's father. Plus Dad spoke with him more than I did when he was in the hospital.

I still think about him. Sometimes I cry about him. And I think that I'd like to be caring and understanding, like him.

Christine Coggins is a grade 8 student in Abbotsford, B.C. and a member of Central Heights MB Church.

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